Sachin leads the way for Mumbai Indians

Sachin Tendulkar smashed a superlative half-century to set the tone for what eventually turned out to be a mammoth Mumbai Indians total against Delhi Daredevils in their Indian Premier League match at the Ferozeshah Kotla on Wednesday.

Their captain's blitzkrieg and later significant contributions from Sourabh Tiwary and Ambati Rayudu helped Mumbai Indians post 218 for seven, their highest ever total in the IPL.

Having been asked to bat, the team from Mumbai surpassed its earlier highest of 212 for six they scored against Rajasthan Royals in their first match at Ahmedabad on Saturday.  

Tendulkar's 32-ball 63, his fourth IPL fifty, was inclusive of 11 hits to the fence.

He came into the field as a substitute and made an impact.

Yogesh Nagar took to the field after Delhi Daredevils captain Gautam Gambhir was forced to leave the field in just the second over with a hamstring injury.

The substitute took a spectacular one-handed catch off Sri Lankan pacer Farveez Maharoof to send the dangerous Sanath Jayasuriya (7)back to the pavilion.

Later Nagar took another catch, this time off Amit Mishra's bowling, to get rid off the belligerent Sachin Tendulkar (63). 

Saurabh Tiwary smashed an aggressive 37-ball 61, inclusive of four boundaries and three sixes to ensure the foundation laid by his Sachin Tendulkar was converted into a concrete total.

The youngster was alos involved in a crucial third wicket partnership with his skipper that yielded 48 runs from just 26 balls.

More importantly, he put on 71 runs in just 41 balls in a vital fourth wicket stand with Ambati Rayudu (34).

Virender Sehwag was in his elements during his brief stay at the crease.

Sehwag's 16-ball 26 was inclusive of four hits to the fence.

But just when he looked dangerous, Dwayne Bravo had him caught by Ambati Rayudu at long-off. 

Dwayne Bravo, who took a long flight from the West Indies, to be in New Delhi for this match didn't disappoint.

His two crucial wickets up the order hastened the Delhi downfall.

Bravo first had Sehwag caught by Raydu at long-off and then cleaned up AB de Villiers (11) to ensure his side a vital 98 run win, their second straight in this edition.

It was the biggest ever victory margin for the Mumbai Indians and the third biggest ever in the Indian Premier League.