IPL FINALS 2017

It’s been 5 days since the IPL final was completed and the euphoria of the win is still present in a Mumbai fan like me. And what a low scoring thriller it was!!!

There’s just something spectacular about low scoring thrillers, isn’t there? When such low scoring games go down to the wire the excitement among fans and pressure on the field intensifies even further, for just 1 error can ruin everything.
Ruin everything in the sense that the bowler has a paltry 15 runs to defend from 12 balls, he misses the block hole and presents a half volley or a low full toss which gets carted for 6, equation 9 from 11. Game ruined? A wicket in a high scoring game will ruin everything as a new batsman will have to get set and then go after the bowling and there is no time, but, in low scoring games in just attempting to get in they can take the game right to the end.

The IPL final was such a low scoring game. The stage was set and the two best teams of the IPL descended upon the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium in Hyderabad to battle it out for the IPL 10 trophy.

Rising Pune Supergiant had beaten Mumbai Indians in the group stages as well as the first playoff and had the momentum on their side having completed a treble on the two time champions.

Mumbai despite being a side that is comfortable with chasing, went for the tried and tested formula of bat first, put runs on the board and defend it. It is the best method in a final (so as to let the scoreboard pressure pile on the chasing team in a high stakes game) and Mumbai had won both of their IPL titles when they had batted first. It seemed like a bad decision with Parthiv Patel and Lendl Simmons getting dismissed early to leave Mumbai reeling at 8-2. Rohit Sharma and Ambati Rayudu joined hands and steered the ship to safety reaching 41-2 but wickets and regular intervals saw Mumbai stumble to 79-7 and were down and out after 14 overs when Krunal Pandya and Mitchell Johnson joined hands. Krunal was the last recognised batsman and Johnson was the last bowler who could bat. Krunal put in a man of the match performance and his 47 runs pushed Mumbai to a total that would require Rising Pune Supergiant to commence their chase going at a fraction over run a ball.

Only Mumbai fans and fools gave Mumbai a chance at the innings break for everyone though that a chase of 130 runs in 20 overs would be a cakewalk for a side that had batsmen like Dhoni and Steve Smith. People thought the Mumbai Indians fans were fools, but the fools dared to dream, no matter how crazy they seemed in the eyes of others.

 What followed was a disciplined bowling performance aided by the slowness of the pitch which saw Mumbai not let Pune get ahead of the run rate at any point in the innings.

Mumbai were not at their sharpest for the first six overs and notable blip on the field was Krunal Pandya dropping a sitter offered to him by Ajinkya Rahane. However their bowling was brilliant and no one had an off day.

At the 15 over mark it seemed that batting first was a masterstroke as batting on this pitch with the ball stopping and not coming onto the bat was tedious. It was getting slower every over. Mumbai's ground fielding had improved to make the chase for Pune even tougher.

 Credits to Steve Smith for actually laying down anchor and playing a slow innings as he read the pitch perfectly and realised that it would be tough for the batsmen who followed to get their eye in. He had to bat out the overs if Rising Pune Supergiant were to have a chance. In the 16^th over Steve Smith took a risk and played a brilliant switch hit for 6. The equation was now 33 runs from 24 balls. Jasprit Bumrah’s over saw Pune score 3 runs and lose the wicket of M.S.Dhoni.
 Lasith Malinga followed it up with an equally impressive over which saw 7 runs scored. The equation was now 23 runs from 2 overs. Bumrah bowled 5 good balls and missed the mark on just 1 which was driven straight back for 6. Game blown wide open. Had that ball not gone for 6 it would have been 16 runs needed of the final over.

Malinga, Bumrah, Karn Sharma and Krunal Pandya had completed their quota of 4 over each, and the burden of defending the 11 runs fell on the experienced shoulders of Mumbai's senior most pacer who was initially bought into the squad as a fringe player, but with injury to Mitchell McClanaghan his services were called upon.

A 35 year old Aussie speedster, 11 runs to defend. Bad odds in a T20 game? Wait! The pacer goes by the name Mitchell Johnson. How's the equation now?

An ecstatic Mitchell Johnson after dismissing the danger man Steve Smith

Still doubtful. He is old.

 You can take the man out of the game, but you can't take the game out of him for cometh the hour cometh the man and at the most important stage of the tournament the man the man came up with the goods. 

The first ball was smacked to Deep Square for a boundary. He was asking Rohit Sharma to position a fielder at that exact spot while standing at the top of his mark. That seemed to awaken the mean beast within the man. The beast last seen terrorising the Englishmen during the 2013-14 ashes series. He rolled back the years and removed Manoj Tiwary and Steve Smith of consecutive deliveries. Washington Sundar played and missed the next ball which missed the stumps by mere inches and Pune scampered through for a leg bye. Johnson could have had a wicket of the next ball but Hardik Pandya dropped the catch(to credit the fielder, his sensational movement and spectacular forward dive was what made it possible for it to be a catching opportunity). With 4 needed of 1, all 3 results were still possible. Johnson bowled it slightly wide and Dan Christian heaved the ball towards deep mid wicket. Krunal stopped the boundary and eliminated the possibility of a Pune win, he fumbled slightly and quickly fired in an accurate throw straight over the bails into Parthiv Patel’s gloves. Parthiv collected it cleanly and broke the stumps as Washington Sundar was sprinting to the keepers end to complete the 3^rd run to take the game into the super over. Mumbai defending 130 had restricted Pune to 128 and won a thriller of a game by a single run!

It was Mumbai Indians’ 3^rd IPL title, and they closed out the 10 year cycle of IPL with the most titles. Mumbai had snatched victory from the jaws of defeat, at the innings break only a fool would have given them a chance. Their fans…. The fools who dared to dream, this one, Mumbai's 3rd IPL title  was for those fools who dared to dream.