MUMBAI: Mumbai Indians beat Kings XI Punjab by 23 runs to return to the top of the IPL table Monday, and Kochi Tuskers thrashed Delhi Daredevils by seven wickets. Mumbai captain Sachin Tendulkar and Ambati Rayudu each scored 51 and put on a 95-run stand that helped the team total 159-5 after being asked to bat first on a docile Wankhede Stadium pitch. A combined bowling effort then helped restrict Punjab to 136-8. The win took Mumbai to 12 points from eight games, ahead of the Shane Warne-led Rajasthan Royals with 11 points from nine matches. Punjab remained on six from seven. At New Delhi, Delhi Daredevils' 140-6 was overhauled with ease by Kochi, which made 141-3 in only 15 overs. Kochi reached eight points from nine games while Delhi remained on six from nine. Tendulkar excelled with some clever shots on the on side, smashing a six and three fours off 45 balls. Rayudu relished playing straight down the ground, getting one six and eight fours off 37 deliveries. West Indian Kieron Pollard smashed two hefty sixes in his 20 off 11 deliveries while Rohit Sharma got 18 off 11. However, Mumbai was stopped from notching a bigger total by Australian pace bowler Ryan Harris and leg-spinner Piyush Chawla, who bagged two wickets each. “I thought we got a good total in the end,” Tendulkar said. “We were short by 10-15 runs but made up with some fine fielding.” In reply, King's XI Punjab lost captain Adam Gilchrist early on, trapped lbw by offspinner Harbhajan Singh without scoring. Australian batsman Shaun Marsh top-scored with 61 while Paul Valthaty made 33, but the team could not develop any real momentum. Marsh faced 47 deliveries and hit eight fours in his 10th IPL half-century before trying to force the pace and becoming Sri Lankan pace bowler Lasith Malinga's second victim. Harbhajan and Munaf Patel also finished with two wickets each. In the night game, Delhi struggled after losing openers Virender Sehwag (15) and David Warner (13). Venugopal Rao's 40 and a quick 27 off 15 from Travis Birt lent some respectibility, but Kochi did not have much problem avenging its 38-run loss on Saturday. New Zealand batsman Brendon McCullum ensured a blistering start for Kochi with 37 off 19 balls, while Parthiv Patel hit 37 not out and Australian batsman Brad Hodge finished with an unbeaten 24. On Tuesday, Deccan Chargers play Kolkata Knight Riders at Hyderabad. Scores: Mumbai Indians 159-5 in 20 overs (Sachin Tendulkar 51, Ambati Rayudu 51; Ryan Harris 2-33). Kings XI Punjab 136-8 in 20 overs (Shaun Marsh 61; Munaf Patel 2-18, Lasith Malinga 2-19). Kochi Tuskers 141-3 in 15 overs (Brendon McCullum 37, Parthiv Patel 37 not out, Brad Hodge 24 not out). Delhi Daredevils 140-6 in 20 overs (Venugopal Rao 40, Travis Birt 27; Vinay Kumar 2-25, Prasanth Parameswaran 2
