Middle order could have been more consistent, rues Tendulkar

Mumbai Indians' skipper Sachin Tendulkar said that Chris Gayle's initial onslaught and Mumbai Indians' inconsistent middle order were the telling factors in his side's elimination on Friday night. "I thought the way Gayle started, especially first over and following five overs, set the tone for them. We came back strongly in the last 10 overs, they may have ended going above 200," he said post match.

He added, "The opening partnership didn't work for us in the first half of the tournament; in the last three games it improved. But the middle order could have been more consistent, but it could not happen." He was confident of a successful chase despite the stiff target: "We ended up giving 15 extra runs. One hundred and seventy would have been par. This is a high-scoring game, it was within our reach. I thought it was a good track, it was coming on nicely and we managed to hit boundaries. In the middle overs we got stuck."