Mumbai Indians completed one of the most remarkable periods of delivery in the eight-year history of the Indian Premier League to transform a terrible start to the tournament – they were at the bottom of the table for the first two weeks – on a title victory .
The final success of 2013 was repeated in the same ground against the same opposition, turned out to be one of the easy ways out after an early attack unbridled by Rohit Sharma and Lendl Simmons, both of which hit half centuries, stunned Chennai Super Kings – IPL final veterans – into submission. Super Kings never even gave a snort.
Choosing MS Dhoni bowling first on uneven pitch Eden Gardens was interesting, not because he might have overcompensated by the presence of dew later, but because it was a deviation from a strategy that had worked for Super Kings for in his previous two title wins – bat first big score, then apply the restriction.
The start was perfect; Faf du Plessis brilliantly ran out Parthiv Patel and Ashish Nehra said only wine first. But that was all, because once Rohit started in the second over, collecting 16 Mohit Sharma, Super Kings were always chasing the ball.
R Ashwin entered the room again, surpassed once paid the price with 12 work-over. Jadeja was also filmed inside the Powerplay but Simmons crushed by 14 runs to be 61 runs from the first six. After seeing Rohit entries starting with a flurry of boundaries in the first three overs, Simmons had played all but one ball in the next three and had surpassed Rohit.
The diffusion field would not have an effect on the small open field. Simmons continued hogging most strike and continued the search for boundaries to reach his half-century of the season sixth in the tenth.
The implementation rate showed no signs of drift but Dhoni continued contain Dwayne Bravo, the leading wicket taker in the tournament. Fate had it, was Bravo who broke the dangerous stand in his first – 12 entries – at which Rohit had also reached his half century in just 24 balls, and the implementation rate hovers around 10.
A cartoon by Dhoni in the team huddle in the dismissal of Rohit speech had a brief effect: Dwayne Smith Simmons sent back with his first ball of the tournament and 30 races out of four extensions. But in 150 after 16 overs with Kieron Pollard and Ambati Rayudu heated, Mumbai Indians were waiting to explode.
Nehra took the brunt – hit three sixes and four in the 17th by Pollard – and Mumbai Indians finished second time 200-plus total in the final of the IPL.
Super Kings needed persecution early push but never arrived. Smith, as had happened all season, struggled to time the ball. He arrived half a century – his second season – but Super Kings needed more from him than an unemployment rate of 118. Harbhajan Singh dismissed Smith excess after removal Raina hit too Malinga and Mitchell McClenaghan picked up three. Wait Super Kings for their third title entered its fifth year.
