IPL 6: Muscular Mumbai finally get over the line

Over the past 5 years, Mumbai Indians have consistently proved that even in a money driven tournament, rich teams can fritter away inherent advantages. This year again, one got to see the money might of MI. However, with a resolute display in the finals yesterday, the IPL trophy finally found its way into their cabinet.

MI won the toss and rightly chose to bat. At 16/3 though, their plans seemed to be going haywire. Mumbai openers were sent back in the first two overs to excellent deliveries by Mohit Sharma and Albie Morkel. Rohit Sharma came in next and soon followed suit. The demons of their 2010 final against the same opposition had been woken up. Another wicket could have completely derailed the Mumbai innings and reduced the match to a ridiculously one-sided contest.

Two of Mumbai’s young batsmen stitched together a shield of which Kieron Pollard was to make full use later on. Dinesh Karthik has been MI’s go-to man this season and with fluent shots, gave MI innings the required cushion. Ambati Rayudu has been with MI right after he joined IPL, leaving ICL. The dup joined hands and damage control mode was on.

In the 10th over, Kieron Pollard came to the crease and from then on, showed why he is rated so highly in T20 even though he might perform in only a few matches. It was, undoubtedly, Pollard’s robust and typically Pollard-like innings that kicked MI’s innings on. Pollard finally ended with a mammoth 60 not out at a strike rate of 187.

The pitch of Eden gardens has generally been a slow and low one, often prompting KKR to congest its side with spinners. 148 was certainly a score Mumbai would have settled for, having been down at 16/3 after 3.2 overs. MI’s bowling line-up was undoubtedly the mightiest in this IPL with four bowlers – Malinga, Johnson, Harbhajan, Ojha performing well.

Rohit Sharma gave people one more reason to hail him as a first-rate captain when he threw the ball straight away to Lasith Malinga. It makes perfect sense to let your best bowler have a go right away at the opposition’s best batsmen. The move proved to be a bull’s eye hit. Malinga sucked air out of CSK’s system when he gobbled up Michael Hussey and Suresh Raina – CSK’s batting protagonists – in the first over. Hussey was scalped by a vicious in swinging delivery which swung in late. For Raina, Malinga tried the old bounce-Raina-out recipe and after having faced just one ball, Raina was back in the dugout. Chennai stood at a hapless 3 for 3 at 1.4 overs.

Some of the CSK batsmen though should question their horrendous shot selection. Badrinath, Bravo and Jadeja gave away their wickets for peanuts. Chennai were reduced to 57 runs for the loss of 7 wickets (after 10.6 overs) and the match could’ve only moved in MI’s favour from there.

The biggest debate of the night would be over Dhoni’s decision to bring himself at no.7.  Along with Hussey and Raina, Dhoni forms the central batting core of this CSK team. Yet, on countless occasions, the CSK captain demotes himself down the order; moves which have proved to be fruitless on occasions. Sometimes the team-over-self virtue can make excellent players overlook their playing capabilities when they are captains. In hindsight, Dhoni made an error in batting so down the order for even with Ashwin, he was intently looking for the win and had kept Rohit Sharma on his toes. Better partners and more wickets in the bank might have boosted Chennai’s chances.

Finally, with absolutely no support from the other end and a nearly impossible required rate, all Dhoni could do was hit some lusty blows. The match was lost much earlier.

Before the final, very less attention was on this match and rather the unfortunate happenings off the field had attracted all the eyeballs. The final, at least for some time, shifted all attention back to the field. Although the match wasn’t a thriller, IPL did get to see a new champion this year. Hope the IPL returns next year with all its verve intact but also a lot cleaner.