IPL PHOTOS: Mumbai vs Pune, Match 15

A dominant performance by Rohit Sharma, Dinesh Karthik and Sachin Tendulkar saw Mumbai Indians crush their Maharashtrian neighbours, Pune Warriors India, by 41 runs during their IPL match on Saturday.

- Match report

- Scorecard

Earlier, Mumbai Indians and Pune Warriors entered this match at the back of solid wins against Delhi Daredevils and Rajasthan Royals, respectively.

Both teams decided to go with the same winning combinations for this match, which can be termed 'Clash of the Marathas'.

Mumbai Indians captain Ricky Ponting elected to bat when the toss went in his favour.

After a failed opening partnerships with Sachin Tendulkar, so far in the competition, Ponting would look to give the hosts a good start against Pune.

The opening pair of Sachin Tendulkar and skipper Ricky Ponting (13) finally came good. They played patiently at first and then accelerated as the match went on.

They posted the 50-run opening partnership in 6.3 overs.

Even though he gave Tendulkar good support, he didn't look at ease at the crease. While Tendulkar was busy piling on the runs, hitting boundary after boundary -- at one point he had raced to 23 off 13 deliveries -- Ponting was happy scoring at run a ball.

The only highlight of Ponting's innings was a pull shot off Bhuvneshwar Kumar's first over.

The Australian's misery at the crease was ended when he was caught at point by Abhishek Nayar off Yuvraj Singh's first delivery for 14.

Tendulkar (44) came out to bat with an agressive intent and that was obvious from the beginning of his innings. The Mumbai maestro was severe on Ashok Dinda, taking four boundaries off him.

He then slammed spinner Rahul Sharma for a huge six and he was also thrashed all over the park. Pune captain Mathews was also not spared.

Tendulkar was in a mood to enthrall the packed crowd with his dazzling strokeplay. But his attractive innings of 44 was cut short by part-time left-arm slow bowler Aaron Finch.

Pune finally had Tendulkar out when he was holed out to Mitchell Marsh at long-on off  Finch. Tendulkar hit seven fours and a six in his 29-ball knock.

Rohit Sharma came at the fall of Ponting's wicket and  looked in his elements. He played freely and along with Dinesh Karthik gave Mumbai the required impetus to reach a good total.

Rohit's cause was helped when he was dropped on 13. Rohit was put down by Pune's Yuvraj Singh off the bowling of Abhishekh Nayar in the 15th  over.

Dinesh Karthik (41, 29 balls), brought his good form in this match and gave Pune bowlers a rough time.

He entertained the crowds with his big hitting and brought up the 50-run partnership for the third wicket with Rohit Sharma from just 36 balls, having scored 28 of those runs.

Karthik then became Mitchell Marsh's victim, trapped leg before in the 16th over, but not before forging a 55-run partnership for the third wicket with Rohit Sharma.

Kieron Pollard joined Rohit Sharma as Mumbai continued in the same aggressive vain. This time Marsh was at the recieving end and so was Dinda.

Dinda was slapped for 19 runs and the following over saw Marsh go for 21 runs as Mumbai crossed the 150-run mark.

Rohit Sharma completed a well-made half century at the death of the innings as he plundered the Angelo Mathews for 9 runs in the penultimate over and then Dinda for 16 runs in the closing over.

He finished with 62 from 32 balls and Pollard made 19 from 14 balls as Mumbai smashed 68 runs from the last five overs with the loss of just one wicket.

Dinda's was taken to the cleaners as his figures read a sorry 63 runs in his four overs.

Defending a formidable total Mumbai Indians started on a high. The hosts couldn't have expected a better start with Mitchell Johnson castling Pune Warriors' opener Aaron Finch for a first ball duck.

It was always going to be tough for Pune from here on end, and so it was.

Ross Taylor, who came in to bat at No 3, was run out in the very next over.

Making just seven runs, opener Robin Uthappa was the next man to go, Johnson getting into the act again.

There was some respite for Pune as Yuvraj Singh and T Suman (23 from 14 balls) put up a semblance of a fight. Suman played smartly and played most of the loose deliveries to the boundaries.

In the 6th over, Suman smashed a Harbhajan Singh delivery for a boundary, off the first ball. But the 'turbanator' exacted his revenge in the very same over. Attempting another huge shot, Suman was caught by Pollard at long on to have Pune reeling at 38-4.

Yuvraj Singh (24 off 16) tried to score fast and raise some hopes. Along with captain Angelo Mathews, he rotated the strike for ones and twos.

He also did clear the boundary thrice (4x1, 6x2) but that was not enough. In the 10th over he was dismissed by Pollard.

Mathews scored 19 off 18 deliveries and in the process, managed to take a six off Pragyan Ojha. But Ojha got him in the next delivery and Mitchell Marsh took it upon himself to salvage some pride for Pune.

He played a good aggressive knock (38 off 26 balls) before being caught on the boundary by Rishi Dhawan, who dived full stretch to take a stunning catch.

Again, it was Johnson who was the architect of that wicket. He finished with excellent figures of three for 33 in four overs.

That was the last straw for Pune, who from then on it was all downhill. Rahul Sharma found a late boundary but that was never enough and Pune lost by 41 runs.