Sachin Tendulkar and Shane Warne, in Jaipur, on Sunday

Jaipur: Captain Sachin Tendulkar led from the front with an unbeaten 59-ball 89, his highest Indian Premier League (IPL) score, as the Mumbai Indians beat the Rajasthan Royals by 37 runs to become the first team to seal their place in the semi-finals here Sunday.

Sachin decorated his innings with 10 fours and two sixes to not only register his fifth half-century of the tournament, but also become the highest run-getter in IPL III with 506 runs, and snatch the Orange cap back from Royal Challengers Bangalore’s Jacques Kallis (501).

Yet again, the Mumbai outfit’s innings revolved around Sachin as he first added 63 runs for the fourth wicket with JP Duminy, and then added 50 with Kieron Pollard to guide the table toppers to 174 for five, after they were reduced to 30 for three at one stage.

Chasing the competitive target, the Royals did not help their cause as the Mumbai Indians restricted the hosts to 137 for eight. With this win, the Mumbai Indians are through to the semis with 16 points from 11 matches, while the Royals face a must-win situation in their remaining two outings.