Dubai: Mumbai Indian created history by becoming the first team to win the Indian Premier League for a third time preventing Rising Pune Supergiant from rising to glory and emerge as the new champions.
They defended a moderate total of 129 for 8 and won by one run in a nail-biting thriller at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium in Hyderabad.
Mumbai overcame the jinx of losing to Pune thrice in this league. Pune skipper Steve Smith’s fighting 51 and Ajinkya Rahane’s 44 went in vain.
After Pune’s medium pacer Jaydev Undakat, who used his accurate slower deliveries to pick the wickets of openers Parthiv Patel and Lendl Simmons, Australia’s leg break googly bowler Adama Zampa struck twice to take the prize wickets of Mumbai skipper Rohit Sharma and hard-hitter Kieron Pollard. Mumbai never recovered from the setbacks losing wickets regularly.
If not for Krunal Pandya’s fighting 47 off 38 balls with three boundaries and two sixes, Mumbai would have failed to cross the 100-run mark. With Mitchell Johnson (13no) they put on 50 runs in 5.5 overs for the eighth wicket.
Pune chased the gettable total losing opener Rahul Tripathi, who got trapped leg before by Jasprit Bumrah for 3. Rahane on 14, too would have followed but Krunal dropped an easy catch at covers off Lasith Malinga. He went on to hit 44 runs off 38 balls before Mitchell Johnson had him caught by Kieron Pollard near long on. With his skipper Steve Smith, Rahane put on 54 runs in 9.3 overs.
Mahendra Singh Dhoni joined Smith and in the last five overs, with Pune needeing 47 runs. Bumrah had Dhoni caught behind for 10 when Pune needed 32 off 22 balls. Smith and Manoj Tiwary (7) put on 25 off three overs.
Needing 11 runs off the last six balls Johnson struck twice, removing Tiwary (7) who put on 25 runs in 3.2 overs with Smith and also Smith for 51 to tilt the match in Mumbai’s favour.
Johnson took three wickets for 26 runs backed by Bumrah with two wickets for 26 runs.
Earlier, Mumbai won the toss and broke the usual trend of bowling first by electing to bat.
Patel, who had fought a lone battle against Mumbai in the first qualifier through a half century, fell for just four runs. He pulled medium pacer Unadkat’s first delivery of the second over into the hands of Shardul Thakur at mid-on. Simmons too fell to the fourth ball of that over brilliantly caught and bowled for 3.
Both the openers back in the pavilion for eight, the mantle of building the innings fell on skipper Rohit Sharma and Ambati Rayudu.
Sharma steered Lockie Ferguson past backward point for a boundary and also glanced him past short fine leg for another boundary. He picked two more boundaries off the last two balls of that over to take 16 runs off that over.
Rayudu too picked a boundary past point off Zampa. When the pair looked like settling down and added 33 runs in 4.4 overs, Rayudu was brilliantly run out off a direct throw from skipper Steven Smith at mid-off for 12. Zampa bowled a tight ninth over giving away just four runs. Off spinner Washington Sundar, who destroyed Mumbai in the first qualifier, too bowled tightly and at the half way mark, Mumbai were 56 for 3.
Mumbai slipped into great trouble when in the 11th over, when Zampa had Sharma pull to Thakur who took a well-judged catch at deep mid-wicket for 24. Pollard whacked the first ball he faced from Zampa for a six over long off. He lasted only two more balls as Zampa had Pollard hit to Tiwary at long on.
All eyes turned towards Pandya brothers Hardik and Krunal to lift Mumbai out of trouble. Hardik hit Zampa for a six over long on to take the score to 75. Crushing the hopes of Mumbai fans, Daniel Christian trapped Hardik leg before with a delivery that nipped back to hit his pads for 10. This wicket put to doubt whether Mumbai will reach the 100 run mark.
Karn Sharma joined the procession of batsmen into the pavilion by getting run out for 1. Mitchell Johnson joined Krunal with only five overs to go and Mumbai having posted only 81 runs. Mumbai reached the 100 run mark in 17.4 overs.
Brief scores:
Mumbai Indians bt Rising Pune Supergiant by one run. Mumbai Indians 129 for 8 in 20 overs (Rohit Sharma 24, Krunal Pandya 47, Adam Zampa 2 for 32, Jaydev Unadkat 2 for 19, Daniel Christian 2 for 34) Pune128 for 6 in 20 overs (Ajinkya Rahane 44, Steve Smith 51, Mithchell Johnson 3 for 26, Jasprit Bumrah 2 for 26).
