Mumbai finds new fortress
On May 24 in 2015, Mumbai Indians clinched its second IPL title and coincidentally, it beat the same opponent at the same venue – Chennai Super Kings at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata.
The batsmen lifted MI to 202/5 and restricted CSK to 161/8 to win the contest by 41 runs. West Indians Lendl Simmons (68 off 45) and Kieron Pollard (36 off 18) were the perfect supporting act for skipper Rohit Sharma who smashed a 26-ball 50.
Dwayne Bravo (2/36) and Dwayne Smith (1/17) were the pick of the CSK bowlers. Veteran left-arm pacer Ashish Nehra leaked 41 in his four.
New Zealand pacer Mitchell McClenaghan (3/25) made the ball talk and got the better of Michael Hussey, Bravo and R. Ashwin. There were sparks from Smith (57 off 48) and Suresh Raina (28 off 19) but the CSK batters ran out of patience once Lasith Malinga dismissed M.S. Dhoni (18 off 13) in the 16th over. Mohit Sharma, who had played the World Cup that year, entertained the crowd with a brisk 21 off 7 balls but it wasn't enough to meet the massive required rate.
Deccan Chargers, brand new champion
On May 24 in 2009, Deccan Chargers won its maiden IPL title. DC scored 143/6 in 20 overs in the final. RCB skipper Anil Kumble returned with figures of 4/16 in 4 overs. In reply, RCB never really looked settled against Deccan bowlers. It kept on losing wickets regularly and was left tottering at 99/6 when Virat Kohli was undone by Andrew Symonds for 7. RCB eventually lost the match by 6 runs.
A final that began with a delicious piece of trickery concluded amidst jangled nerves and racing heartbeats. In those stirring moments after the finish, Adam Gilchrist, his arms spread wide, his visage flush with joy, his lean frame still lithe and supple, appeared like a bird in flight.
Even as his over-the-moon teammates converged upon him, Gilchrist, almost magically, appeared to shed all those years. Winning can be a wonderful feeling.
In a stunning reversal of fortunes, last season’s wooden-spoonist emerged the winner of the Indian Premier League-2.
Deccan Chargers and skipper Gilchrist smiled and laughed on a night of the unexpected. Emotions swirled around.
Kumble, a captain who was both an example and inspiration, was dignity personified. His team, RCB, had fought hard on the field, but the batsmen had lost the key moments.
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