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Mumbai Indians thrash Rajasthan Royals by 33 runs
Mumbai Indians thrashed Rajasthan Royals by 33 runs to win the Champions League T20 title for a second time after 2011.
The win helped Mumbai Indians become the second team to complete the double, having won the Indian Premier League in May. It also served a fitting farewell to Sachin Tendulkar's T20 career.
Chasing an improbable 203 to win, the team from Rajasthan started on an emphatic note before losing steam towards the end. They eventually managed to score just 169.
Earlier, Rajasthan captain Rahul Dravid, also playing in his last game, won the toss and invited Mumbai to bat first at Ferozshah Kotla.
Both Rajsthan and Mumbai made one change in their playing eleven. While Kusal Perera came in for unwell Brad Hodge for Rajasthan, Mumbai replced Mitchell Johnson with Glen Maxwell.
Teams:
Mumbai Indians: Rohit Sharma (capt), Dwayne Smith, Sachin Tendulkar, Glenn Maxwell, Dinesh Karthik, Kieron Pollard, Ambati Rayudu, Nathan Coulter-Nile, Harbhajan Singh, Rishi Dhawan, Pragyan Ojha.
Rajasthan Royals: Rahul Dravid (capt), Ajinkya Rahane, Kusal Perera, Sanju Samson, Shane Watson, Stuart Binny, Dishant Yagnik, James Faulkner, Kevon Cooper, Pravin Tambe, Rahul Shukla.
Tendulkar managed 15 in his farewell T20 innings
Put in to bat by Rajasthan Royals, the in-form opener Dwayne Smith gave Mumbai Indians a perfect start, hitting a six over deep mid-wicket in the third ball of the very first over to set the tone.
The other opener, Sachin Tendulkar, who was playing his final Twenty20 match, took an over to get settled down before he opened up. He started off with a four in James Faulkner's over, a perfectly timed cover drive.
The 40-year-old right handed batsman then followed it up with two successive boundaries in the first two deliveries off Shane Watson's over before the ball crashed into his off-stump to cut short his innings that saw him score a 13-ball 15, including three hits to the fence.
Tendulkar's departure slowed down the rhythm a bit
Even as the senior batsman walked back into the pavilion in coloured cloths for one last time, his teammates and the full house crowd at the Feroze Shah Kotla gave him a standing ovation.
Tendulkar's departure slowed down the rhythm a bit with Ambati Rayudu adopting a cautious approach, relying mostly on singles and twos.
Despite that Mumbai Indians managed to bring up their fifty in 6.5 overs, maintaining a decent run rate.
Tambe impressed with the ball yet again
Pravin Tambe was the most impressive bowler for Rajasthan with figures of 4-0-19-2, his couple of wickets helped him earn the Golden Wicket, for taking the most wickets in the tournament.
The 41-year-old leg-spinner Tambe, who emerged as the surprise package of Champion League T20, managed to put breaks in the MI scoring.
Rohit Sharma made a valuable 33
Rohit Sharma, the Mumbai Indians captain, made a valuable 33 (off just 14 balls) in the middle of the innings.
Rohit's innings was inclusive of three hits to the fence and two over it.
Kieron Pollard (15), who joined Rohit, wasted no time and the two batsmen straightaway got down to business. Firing on all cylinders, the duo scored 15 runs in Rahul Shukla's over before punishing Cooper for 20 runs, as both Pollard and Rohit hit a six each in his over.
It was Faulkner, who got the leg stumps of dangerman Pollard to get him out.
Maxwell's cameo took Mumbai past 200-run mark
Despite Rohit departing in the first ball of Shukla's over, Glenn Maxwell (37) hit him for two sixes and a four. He, along with Dinesh Karthik (15 not out), added 41 runs for the sixth wicket in just 2.2 overs
It was Maxwell's 14-ball 37 cameo in the end took the IPL champions past 200-run mark.
Mumbai Indians managed 202 for six, their highest total ever, with 142 runs in their last 10 overs.
Rahane finished the tournament's highest scorer
Chasing a massive 203-run target, Royals mounted a terrific challenge, the foundation of which was laid by two youngsters, Ajinkya Rahane (65) and Sanju Samson (60).
Rahane's 47-ball knock was inclusive of five hits to the fence and two over it.
It was Rahane's fourth half century on the trot and he finished the highest scorer in the tournament (288 runs), thereby winning the Golden Bat.
Rahane and Samson added 109 runs for the second wicket
Rahane and Samson took off from the word go with the latter being the more dominating of the two.
The two put on a solid 109-run stand for the second wicket in just 67 balls. Samson chose Harbhajan for special treatment, extracting 16 runs from his over and set the ball rolling.
Samson was unstoppable as he hit Nathan Coulter-Nile for 17 runs to enable Royals register their fifty off just 4.3 overs. The duo went on punishing the bowlers for anything short and the hundred came in the ninth over.
Pragyan Ojha gave Mumbai Indians the breakthrough, taking the wicket of Samson with Harbhajan taking a good catch at the short third man. Samson departed for a 33-ball 66, studded with four fours and an equal number of sixes.
Harbhajan picked up four wickets
Harbhajan Singh finished with impressive 4-0-32-4 with three wickets coming in just one over, which proved to be the turning point of the match.
Kieron Pollard chipped in with three wickets for 31.
From 155 for three in 16 overs, the Royals collapsed dramatically to lose as many as six wickets for just 14 runs.
Harbhajan was named the man-of-the-match for triggering a spectacular collapse.