The Mumbai Indians swept to a resounding eight-wicket victory over Kings XI Punjab and the Bangalore Royal Challengers defeated the Kolkata Knight Riders by six wickets in the Indian Premier League on Tuesday. The results leave Mumbai fourth in the eight team tournament with 11 points and in the final qualification spot for the semifinals. Bangalore and Punjab both have 10 points and lie sixth and seventh, respectively, while Kolkata is rooted to the bottom of the standings with just one win and three points from its 10 matches. In the match at Centurion Park, New Zealand batsman Ross Taylor struck an unbeaten 81 to lead Bangalore to 176-4 in response to Kolkata's 173-4. Kolkata captain Brendon McCullum had earlier played a superb innings of 84 not out in a stylish return to form and when Bangalore slumped to 74-3 and then 122-4, it appeared Kolkata was likely to capture only its second win of the series. But Taylor won the battle of the Kiwis over McCullum with an attacking batting display, capitalizing on some wayward Kolkata bowling especially from seamers Ishant Sharma and Ajit Agarkar to steer Bangalore home. Mumbai restricted Punjab to 119-9 in its allotted 20 overs, with part-time offspinner J.P. Duminy taking 2-15 in four overs and Man of the Match Harbhajan Singh claiming 1-9 from his four. Coaching consultant Shaun Pollock singled out his team's fielding for special praise, attributing it to the work of fielding coach Jonty Rhodes, his former South Africa teammate. In chasing down the total, Dwayne Bravo hit an unbeaten 70 and captain Sachin Tendulkar 41 not out to complete a thumping win for one of the tournament's favorites. The West Indies allrounder knocked seven boundaries and three sixes in 59 balls while Tendulkar, batting down the order at number four, cracked four boundaries and a six in 29 balls. With a balanced-side that is strong in all facets of the game, Mumbai are now one of the teams tipped to go all the way in the 2009 IPL series. Punjab 119-9 in 20 overs (S.Sohal 43, K.Goel 20 not out; J.P.Duminy 2-15). Mumbai 122-2 in 16.2 overs (D.Bravo 70 not out, S.Tendulkar 41 not out). Scores: Kolkata 173-4 in 20 overs (B.McCullum 84 not out, D.Hussey 43; V.Kumar 2-33). Bangalore 176-4 in 19.2 overs (R.Taylor 81 not out, J.Kallis 32, J.Ryder 22; M.Kartik 2-28) India's IPL stops SMS game Indian Premier League chiefs cancelled a mobile phone SMS contest on Tuesday following accusations from the government that it encouraged gambling and betting. – AgenciesToday's Match 1730 Deccan Chargers vs. Delhi DaredevilsIndian Premier League Table (played, won, lost, tied, no result, points, net run-rate) Delhi 9 7 2 0 14 +0.329 Chennai 10 6 3 1 13 +1.222 Deccan 10 6 4 0 12 +0.382 Mumbai 11 5 5 1 11 +0.543 Rajasthan 11 5 5 1 11 -0.373 Bangalore 11 5 6 0 10 -0.364 Punjab 11 5 6 0 10 -0.570 Kolkata 11 1 9 1 3
