Mumbai Indians win fifth IPL title after Rohit Sharma leads them to a storming win over Delhi Capitals
Mumbai Indians claimed their fifth IPL title with a comprehensive five-wicket win over Delhi Capitals in the final in Dubai; captain Rohit Sharma scored a blistering 68 while Trent Boult starred with the ball, taking three wickets
Tuesday 10 November 2020 23:54, UK
Rohit Sharma led from the front with a blistering 68 from 51 balls as Mumbai Indians powered their way to a fifth Indian Premier League title with a comprehensive five-wicket win over Delhi Capitals in the final.
The Mumbai captain was in supreme form as he reached his half-century from 36 balls and by the time he was dismissed in the 17th over, his side needed less than a run-a-ball.
Kieron Pollard and Hardik Pandya departed with the victory target of 157 in sight so it was left to Ishan Kishan (33no from 19 balls) and Krunal Pandya to get Mumbai over the line with eight balls to spare.
Delhi Capitals tasted defeat in their first IPL final despite the best efforts of captain Shreyas Iyer (65no from 50) and Rishabh Pant (56 from 38), who rescued them from 22-3 and helped Ricky Ponting's men post a respectable 156-7.
The game got off to a dramatic start as Trent Boult, whose participation had been in doubt due to a groin injury, produced a beauty first ball to have Marcus Stoinis caught behind.
In Qualifier 1, Delhi had found themselves 0-3 against Mumbai. They managed better this time around - but not by much. Ajinkya Rahane, preferred to young opener Prithvi Shaw in the XI, was caught behind down the legside in Boult's second over and Shikhar Dhawan was then bowled by Jayant Yadav in the next to leave the Capitals 22-3.
Capitals skipper Iyer survived a couple of early scares before he and Pant set about reviving the innings, cautiously at first before Pant gave in to his attacking instincts and smashed Krunal Pandya for a pair of sixes in the 10th over.
Iyer got in on the act a couple of overs later, sending a length ball from Pollard high over wide long on and, for the first time in the game, Delhi had Mumbai on the back foot.
Pant was growing in confidence after brought up his first fifty of the season by lap-sweeping Nathan Coulter-Nile for four. He top-edged the next ball over Quinton de Kock head for four more but Coulter-Nile had his revenge from the last ball of the over when Pant hooked the bumper straight to Hardik at fine leg.
Iyer kept going and brought up his own half-century from 40 balls but Boult (3-30) returned to remove Shimton Hetymer with a slower-ball bouncer and with Mumbai's death bowling as impressive as ever, the innings appeared to run out of steam.
Coulter-Nile dismissed Axar Patel in the final over and while Iyer took Delhi over 150 with a maximum from the penultimate ball, Kagiso Rabada was run out from the last as Mumbai finished the innings as they started it: with a wicket.
The Capitals needed early wickets defending such a modest total against Mumbai's star-studded batting line-up, ideally a mirror image of their own start.
As it was, the contrast could hardly have been more stark as Rohit set the tone, hitting Ravichandran Ashwin over long on for a six in the first over before De Kock climbed into Rabada in the next, taking his compatriot for 18, included a six that sailed over the legside and into the stands.
Rohit gave another South African, Anrich Nortje, the same treatment and even the dismissal of De Kock, caught behind to Stoinis' first ball, did nothing to slow Mumbai as Suryakumar Yadav came in and slapped his first ball through cover for four and lifted the next over fine leg for six.
Even after a quiet sixth over, Mumbai were 61-1 at the end of the powerplay and well ahead of the rate.
That allowed Rohit to regroup for a couple of overs before going again with twin sixes off Praveen Dubey in the ninth, one over long off and the next over long on.
Not everything went to plan for Rohit though and he was looked crestfallen after running out Suryakumar (19), calling for a single that was never on. The junior man sacrificed himself for his captain and Rohit did not pass up the opportunity, reaching his fifty with the first of back-to-back boundaries in the next over.
With the required rate dropping quickly, Rohit was happy to tick the score over with Kishan going on the offensive, nailing Stoinis over long off for six and adding a further two boundaries off Dubey.
Rohit's fine innings was eventually brought to an end by Nortje thanks to a brilliant catch in the deep from sub fielder Lalit Yadav but Pollard came in and struck successive fours to take Mumbai ever closer.
He was bowled by Rabada, a 30th IPL wicket of the season for the fast bowler, in the next over but another Kishan boundary took Mumbai to within a hit of the trophy.
Hardik was caught off Nortje in the next over with the scores level so it was left to his older brother Krunal to hit the winning run from the next ball.
