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Sachin Tendulkar heaped praise on Mumbai Indians coach Ricky Ponting, saying the former Australia captain still has the same approach to the game as in his playing days.
"When we played against him he always came across as a serious, fearless competitor who never wanted to give up. The same applied here (in the IPL).
"At no stage did he feel that we (Mumbai Indians) are out of the tournament. We need positive people with good experience around, and Ricky doesn't lack in any of those departments."
Applauding Simmons, who seems to have solved the opening conundrum for Mumbai Indians, Tendulkar said, "I thought he batted beautifully throughout the tournament.
"He has been very consistent. I also felt that the other players played really well around him. He was the anchor of our team and because of him all the other players had the freedom to go and express themselves."
Asked which Mumbai Indians players were the finds of this edition of the Indian Premier League, Tendulkar replied: "Some of the guys that played for Mumbai Indians for the first time this season did extremely well for us. The likes of J Suchith and Hardik Pandya were very impressive. Also, Vinay Kumar. I know he is an experienced campaigner, but this was his first year for Mumbai Indians.
"I thought he didn't start out very convincingly but he finished brilliantly. He peaked at the right time."
Mumbai Indians beat Chennai Super Kings by 41 runs to win their second Indian Premier League title, in Kolkata, on Sunday.