MI Becomes Champion of IPL-2015, Thrash CSK By 41 Runs
24 May, Kolkata
Mumbai Indian thrashed Chennai Super Kings by 41 runs in the final at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata on Sunday to become the Champion of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2015.
Two years back, Mumbai had defeated Chennai by 23 runs to annex their maiden title at the Eden.
Mumbai now have evened with Chennai and Kolkata Knight Riders – each having been crowned champions twice.
Chasing a daunting 202 /5 posted by MI , , the CSK could only manage 161/8 from 20 overs .
Dwayne Smith was the top-scorer for CSK, but his 57 came in 48 balls. His innings might have been the highest score for CSK, but it ate up far too many balls at the start, as CSK never gained the momentum needed to get going. Michael Hussey was the first man out, having made four off nine balls. Smith and Suresh Raina then added 66, but at 88 for two in the 12th over, they left far too much for the end.
While Raina could score 28 off 19 balls, Dhoni made 18 from 13 balls.
Lasith Malinga got two wickets fro 25, Harbhajan Singh two for 34 .
For Mumbai, it was Rohit Sharma(50) and Lendl Simmons (68) who helped them post such a formidable total, while for Chennai the only notable contribution came from the bat of Dwayne Smith (57).
Mitchell McClenaghan of Mumbai returned with figures of 3/25 from his four overs.
Displying an awesome batting performance , Mumbai Indians posted a daunting 202/5 against Chennai Super Kings in the eighth Indian Premier League (IPL) final at a packed Eden Gardens in Kolkata .
Put in to bat, the Mumbai Indians built their innings around two partnerships, as they set an asking rate of 10.15 for Chennai on a flat strip.
A rollicking 119-run second-wicket stand between opener Lendl Simmons (68; 45b, 8×4, 3×6) and skipper Rohit Sharma (50; 26b, 4×6, 6×2) took the team to a position of solidity after the loss of opener Parthiv Patel in the opening over itself.
Kieron Pollard (36; 18b, 2×4, 3×6) and Ambati Rayudu (36; 24b, 3×6) then forged a 71-run partnership for the fourth wicket off only 40 balls to pile on the Chennai Super Kings bowlers’ misery.
Caribbean Simmons, who has batted with his characteristic flamboyance through the tournament, opened up in the fourth over, picking up a four and six off Ravichandran Ashwin. A dozen came off the over.
Next he took on Ravindra Jadeja in the sixth over, plundering 14 runs.
Simmons reached his half century with a somewhat lucky shot, an edge, as Pawan Negi only managed to get his hands to the leather before it slipped out. The batsmen ran two, and Mumbai were 98/1 at the halfway stage.
The hundred came in 10.1 overs with Simmons disdainfully dispatching Jadeja to the boundary.
Rohit, who has always found Eden a happy hunting ground, went on the offensive from the word go, smacking Mohit Sharma for 16 runs in the second over, before unleashing some exquisite strokes during his stay in the middle.
Dwayne Bravo finally broke the partnership by foxing Rohit with a slower ball. Mumbai were 120/3 in 12 overs.
Simmons returned in the very next delivery, yorked by Dwayne Smith.
Trinidadian Pollard and Rayudu then came together and beat the bowlers to pulp on the foundation laid by Simmons and Rohit.
Pollard belted Nehra for 23 runs in the 17th over, that included three sixes and one boundary.
The match saw action in the very first over sent down by Ashish Nehra. Jolting the Mumbai Indians, diminutive open Parthiv Patel went back without bothering the scorer, victim of an outlandish fielding by Faf du Plessis.
The batsman went for a flick, but failed to execute it properly, and set off for a run as Plessis closed in on the ball at mid on. However, the South African displayed razor-sharp reflexes, as he dived, lost his balance, but still in one action managed to unsettle the bails.
For Chennai, Dwayne Bravo (2 for 36) was the most successful bowler.