It was a historic day for Mumbai Indians as they managed to seal their 4th IPL title after they defeated Chennai Super Kings by a solitary run in the final of Vivo IPL 12 at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium in Hyderabad. It was a great all-round performance by Mumbai Indians which saw them clinch a nail-biting thriller. It was Jasprit Bumrah and Lasith Malinga who bowled a couple of sensational overs which eventually handed MI a 1 run victory.
After winning the toss it was MI skipper Rohit Sharma who won the toss and opted to bat first. The opening duo of Rohit Sharma and Quinton de Kock got MI off to the perfect start as the duo shared a 45 runs stand before the dismissal of both the openers in quick succession. Suryakumar Yadav and Ishan Kishan tried to resurrect the innings with a good partnership.
It was Imran Tahir who bagged the wicket of Suryakumar Yadav to stall the progress of MI. It was a great effort by the CSK bowlers to curb the run flow of MI in the middle overs. Kieron Pollard proved to be the difference as he scored an unbeaten 41 of 25 deliveries which eventually propelled Mumbai to a competitive score of 149 in their allotted 20 overs.
Chennai Super Kings got off to the start which they wanted. After scoring 19 runs in the first 3 overs, it was the over from Krunal Pandya which provided impetus to the CSK innings. After smashing a couple of fours and a six, it was Krunal who came back strongly and dismissed Faf du Plessis. After an impressive partnership between Suresh Raina and Shane Watson, it was Rahul Chahar who bamboozled Raina with a brilliant delivery.
The match was in the grasp of CSK. However, it was a great comeback by the MI bowlers. Jasprit Bumrah started the charge with the wicket of Ambati Rayudu. In no time, MS Dhoni was also dismissed in the form of a run out which proved to be a controversial decision in the end. However, from the point of view of a fan, it was definitely the correct decision.
The match was totally in favour of MI when an onslaught from Shane Watson totally changed the complexion of the game. The power hitter from Australia smashed Lasith Malinga for 20 runs in the 16th over which literally changed the course of the game. He kept bowling length and Watson kept depositing Malinga for boundaries.
He was dropped thrice and the most important chance came in the penultimate over when he was dropped by Rahul Chahar with CSK within touching distance of the victory target. Quinton de Kock missed a simple catch in the penultimate delivery of the 19th over which cost MI a boundary which brought the calculation down to 9 of the final over.
Lasith Malinga was entrusted with the final over by Rohit Sharma despite conceding 20 runs in his previous over. He repaid the faith shown in him and bowled a sensational over. The run out of Shane Watson in the 4th delivery turned the scales in MI’s favour.
With 2 required of the final delivery, Malinga bowled an exceptional slower delivery which struck Shardul Thakur plumb in front and the on-field umpire had no hesitation in ruling it in favour of the bowling team. It was a great over from the veteran Sri Lankan fast bowler which ensured a record 4th title for Mumbai Indians.
Now here is what Man of the Match Jasprit Bumrah said at the post-match presentation
Very happy. In the finals we know that it can get close and winning the title with MI is a special feeling. Today, surprisingly, I was very calm, I wasn’t panicking at all and very happy to contribute to the team’s success. I only take one ball and one day at a time and if you think like that you don’t feel pressure at all.