May 15, 2019 issue
Cricket
Lasith Malinga bowled a dream final over, defending nine runs, including getting Shardul Thakur out LBW when two were needed off the last ball, to help Mumbai Indians defeat Chennai Super Kings by a solitary run and claim their fourth IPL title.
It was a match deserving of a final, with fortunes swinging wildly between two teams who know how to get to finals and how to win them, too.
Batting first, Mumbai Indians were buoyed by a late flourish from Kieron Pollard and managed 149 on the board. In reply, CSK looked to be in control, with Watson, riding a wave of good fortune, taking his side close. However, Malinga turned up to bowl a stunning last over and leave Mumbai Indians exalted.
From zero to hero
Malinga had profusely leaked runs and boundaries off the 16th over - his third. Giving away 20 runs, Malinga's profligacy had helped CSK overcome the shock dismissal of MS Dhoni cheaply earlier in the innings.
Coming into the final over, CSK looked favourites. They needed just 9 runs and had Shane Watson and Ravindra Jadeja at the crease.
Malinga channeled his older, younger self, when he was almost impossible to put away, as he bowled his final over. Ball one was a near-perfect yorker which was squeezed away for one. Ball two bore the same result too. The third ball was another yorker, which resulted in a couple, while the fourth ball resulted in the run-out of Shane Watson for 80 off 59 balls.
Two runs off the penultimate delivery left CSK needing two off the final delivery. But Malinga had one last trick up his sleeve. A slower full delivery completely deceived Shardul Thakur, and had the batsman plumb in front. Malinga was villain not too long ago, now he was propped up on the shoulders of Kieron Pollard as a champion.
Another hero for Mumbai was Jasprit Bumrah, who further underlined his status as one of the best current bowlers, with a brilliant display. Bumrah gave away just 14 runs in his four overs for two wickets, but his biggest impact was the last two overs of the match in which he gave away just nine runs to keep Mumbai in the game.
The big blow
It went on for an eternity, just as if the heavens had decided that a moment of such importance needed that much drama. MS Dhoni had decided to run off an overthrow that had gone straight to the long off fielder – Ishan Kishan. He wasted a couple of seconds trying to gesture to Shane Watson to rush to the other end. That mini-second cost him. Just as Dhoni was about to make his crease at the other end, Kishan hit the stumps direct. There were no big celebrations from Mumbai Indians. They were unsure. But the replays showed it was a mighty close affair. One angle showed Dhoni just about in. Another showed that he was just about out. Third umpire Nigel Llong took an eternity to make up his mind, and finally the screen flashed red. CSK had been dealt their biggest blow. MI had risen from the dead and were favourites now. CSK were by no means out, they needed 68 off 42, but with the finisher back in the hut.
A frenetic CSK start
Chasing a tricky 150 to win, CSK looked to have made a great start when Faf du Plessis got into his groove early. He was 12 off 7 when he faced Krunal Pandya's second over. He went after the left-armer, hitting him for two fours and a six. He fell soon after, trying to give Krunal the charge and being out stumped in the process. But Watson took over. In the final over of the powerplay, he went after Malinga. Two fours and a six later, CSK had finished with 53 in their powerplay.
Luck, luck and more luck
Watson knows how to win finals. His blistering hundred against SRH last year had delivered CK a fairy-tale triumph. He had a chance again this time. With du Plessis Dhoni, Raina and Rayudu all failing, Watson was once again looked at as the guy who could get CSK home.
But unlike last time, this time he was helped by some horrid fielding. Malinga was the first culprit. After Mitchell McCleneghan had induced a miscue from Watson, the Sri Lankan pacer put down a straight forward chance with Watson on 31. Rahul Chahar was next, putting down a tough return chance when Watson was on 42. The third drop was again from Chahar, who put down a dolly after Jasprit Bumrah had Watson mistiming a pull when on 55.
Watson led a charmed life, capitalising on his drops by going after Malinga and smashing him for three fours in the 16th over, lofting Krunal for three back-to-back sixes in the 18th. That left them needing 19 runs in 14 balls, and with a well set Watson at the crease, it looked to be in CSK's bag. But as it turned out, Malinga trumped Watson in the battle of veterans.
CSK claw back after MI tee off early
Quinton de Kock signalled his intentions early in the game. Mumbai Indians had won the toss and elected to bat on what seemed a good batting pitch and knew they had to pitch in in the powerplay. De Kock gave them a quick start by smashing three sixes in the third over, off Deepak Chahar. He added one more off Shardul Thakur soon after as Mumbai Indians looked set to cash in big in the first six overs.
That's around when Dhoni's tactical nous came into play. He had asked Thakur to switch ends after the first over, and the right-armer repaid the faith by getting rid of de Kock in that over. After de Kock fell, Dhoni immediately brought back Deepak Chahar into the attack and saw him send back Rohit Sharma with an away swinger. CSK applied the breaks superbly thereafter. Mumbai Indians had raced to 37/0 in the first four overs, but could only muster 16/2 in the next four as Dhoni and Co. assumed control.
Kieron Pollard vs MS Dhoni
Mumbai Indians had lost their momentum after a fast start and much revolved around how Hardik Pandya and Kieron Pollard do in the death overs. Hardik Pandya was mostly greeted with short of length deliveries aimed at the body, while for Pollard, Dhoni had a man stationed at very straight long on and another one wide. For Pollard, not the kind of batsman to play the scoop or the glide, it was a well laid out move. Pollard's hard hits down the ground found the fielder often, ensuring Mumbai Indians did not gallop towards a big score.
The West Indian, however, smashed Thakur and Tahir for sixes before finishing with back-to-back fours in the innings to give Bumrah, Malinga and Co something to bowl at. Pollard finished with 41 off 25 balls, giving MI a late boost as they ended with 149.
Brief Scores: Mumbai Indians 149/8 (Kieron Pollard 41, Quinton de Kock 29, Deepak Chahar 3-26, Imran Tahir 2-23) beat Chennai Super Kings 148/7 (Shane Watson 80, Faf du Plessis 26, Jasprit Bumrah 2-14, Rahul Chahar 1-14) by 1 run.
Eye on the World Cup
With the World Cup starting on May 30, 18 days after the IPL final, workload management has been a major talking point throughout the season. Mumbai Indians captain Rohit Sharma reckons that the demands of the IPL will help players build towards the showpiece event in England and Wales, rather than lead to burnout.
Rohit cited the example of India winning the Champions Trophy in June 2013, which started about ten days after the end of the IPL that year. Rohit was in top form across both tournaments, following up his 538 runs in 19 innings for Mumbai Indians in their maiden run to the IPL title with 177 runs in five innings in the UK, helping India secure that title as well.
The tourists needed 19 runs off the final over but managed just six, thanks to some excellent death bowling by an otherwise expensive Chris Woakes (72-1 in 9 overs) as the pairing of captain Sarfaraz Ahmed and Hassan Ali failed to get their side over the line.
Despite the defeat, few would point fingers at a batting unit that had been given the task of chasing a mammoth total. Notable strugglers batting second, the Men in Green came within a whisker of the the target thanks to a sublime knock by opener Fakhar Zaman (138 off 106 balls) and 51-run innings each by Babar Azam and Asif Ali.
Ali's 36-ball knock deserved special acclaim as it featured four maximums and helped bring the run rate under control tremendously. Skipper Sarfaraz contributed an unbeaten 31-ball 42 but it was not enough to put his team 1-0 ahead in the five-match series. Instead, it's the hosts that have drawn first blood in the series, whose first match had failed to produce a result, courtesy of rain.
Earlier, Jos Buttler's stunning 50-ball century had taken England to 373 for three.
Buttler's 110 not out featured nine sixes, including a straight drive off Hasan Ali that took him to three figures. Such was Buttler's command that his second fifty took him a mere 18 balls, with the new father making a 'rocking the baby' gesture to celebrate bringing up a century that also included four fours.
An extraordinary 'inside out' six off Hasan over long-off was arguably the pick of his shots, although a pull off Shaheen Shah Afridi that cleared the rope and took him into the 90s was almost as impressive.
Together with England captain Eoin Morgan (71 not out) he shared an unbroken partnership of 162.
It was an encouraging display by the World Cup hosts just a few weeks from the start of the tournament and further proof of their progress as an ODI side.
Saturday's total was the 35th time since their miserable first-round exit at the 2015 World Cup that England, now top of the ODI rankings, had posted a total in excess of 300 – a feat they had achieved only 34 times in total prior to that tournament.
A Pakistan attack missing the ill Mohammad Amir took a pounding, with Hasan conceding 81 runs from his maximum 10 overs and Afridi 80.
Earlier, Jason Roy (87) and Jonny Bairstow (51) laid a platform for the innings with an opening stand of 115 after Morgan won the toss.
Roy, fit following back trouble that kept him out of Wednesday's washed out opener of a five-match series at his Oval home ground, hit medium-pacer Faheem Ashraf for two huge sixes — a drive over long-on followed by an extravagant uppercut over extra-cover.
But the return of left-arm quick Afridi for a second spell saw Pakistan make the breakthrough.
Bairstow pulled him for a boundary to complete a 44-ball fifty. But the next ball saw Bairstow fail to pull down and a leaping Fakhar Zaman at deep backward square leg held a good catch at the second attempt.
Following a brief rain break, Roy fell in sight of what would have been his eighth ODI hundred when he miscued a pull off Hasan to mid-on.
Test captain Joe Root made 40 before he holed out, his exit paving the way for Buttler's blistering innings.
Amir is sitting this match out as he is suffering from a viral infection and will be replaced by Yasir Shah.
England also made changes in their line up, leaving out rising star Jofra Archer and has been replaced by left-arm quick David Willey. Opener Jason Roy, who had missed the opening match of the series due to back spasm, has also returned to the team. All-rounder Moeen Ali, who sat out the first match with a rib problem, is back in the team as well.
Team officials had always planned that this five-match series would act as a final audition for places in tournament hosts England's 15-man squad for the World Cup, which starts later this month.
World Cup?
By Mandeep Sanghera – BBC Sport
If the Indian Premier League has taught us one thing, it's that this summer's World Cup is going to be full of drama, big hitting and incredible feats in the field.
Mumbai Indians were crowned IPL champions on Sunday, but what else can we take from the 20-over franchise competition heading into the World Cup, which begins on 30 May at The Oval?
Brilliant Bairstow and his Warner bromance
England wicketkeeper-batsman Jonny Bairstow turned out to be one of the big IPL success stories and, having been bought for just under £250,000, proved to be something of a bargain for Sunrisers Hyderabad.
The 29-year-old smashed 445 runs in 10 outings, including the 2019 edition's highest score of 114 off just 56 balls. He reached his ton off 52 balls in what was also the fastest century.
Bairstow was also one half of an unlikely bromance with Australian opener David Warner, with the pair hitting it off in spectacular fashion at the top of the batting order.
They passed the 100-run partnership mark in their first three outings and, in the last of those against Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB), set a new IPL record of 185 for an opening stand.
Speaking about Warner in an interview with the Telegraph, Bairstow said: "[Warner] was a very good team-mate, he passed on a lot of knowledge about local bowlers, gameplans, pitches, everything. He was excellent.
"We spent five weeks together having dinner and coffees. It changes things but it will still be England versus Australia [this summer]."
What about the other England players?
Moeen Ali, Jos Buttler, Joe Denly and Ben Stokes were the other England players from the hosts' preliminary World Cup squad who appeared in the IPL.
Rajasthan Royals opener Buttler endured a controversial start to the tournament after being the victim of a 'Mankad' by Ravichandran Ashwin.
Buttler seemed to be temporarily affected by it with follow-up scores of five and six but bounced back to hit 311 runs from eight innings, including three half-centuries – and all at a strike-rate of 151.70.
The explosive 28-year-old also hit the equal highest number of runs off a single over by smashing 28, which included two sixes and four boundaries, against the Mumbai Indians.
Moeen initially struggled for Royal Challengers Bangalore, who finished bottom of the eight-team table despite having the likes of Virat Kohli and AB de Villiers in their line-up.
Moeen was moved up and down the batting order as RCB lost their first six matches and he scored just 74 runs in the process.
However, in his final four knocks, he scored 146 runs, including two half-centuries.
Bowling-wise, the England spinner returned an impressive economy rate of 6.76 - the same as the much-vaunted Jofra Archer.
Denly cannot be judged on his one outing for Kolkata Knight Riders in which he was bowled for a duck when he opened.
Stokes, however, is a different story...
Memo to Eoin Morgan: Don't bowl Stokes in the final over!
Stokes became the IPL's most expensive foreign player when the now-defunct Rising Pune Supergiant bought him for £1.7m in 2017. Then he helped them to the final but he has been disappointing in his past two seasons for the Rajasthan Royals.
In nine matches in the 2019 edition, he scored just 123 runs, including a highest score of 46, and he endured another final-over nightmare on the bowling front.
Stokes, remember, was smashed for four sixes off his first four balls by Carlos Brathwaite in the last over of the World Twenty20 final against the West Indies, who needed 19 for victory, at Eden Gardens in India in 2016.
He might have hoped to partly banish those memories when he was given the ball with Chennai Super Kings needing 18 off the final over against the Royals in Jaipur.
Instead, it was another horror show as he conceded 21 runs in an over in which he gave away a free hit and bowled a wide.
In his farewell speech to his team-mates prior to joining up with England, Stokes admitted his performances had not "been up to the standards I have set".
Is Jofra Archer as good as the hype?
There has been plenty of attention on Barbados-born paceman Archer, who qualified to play for England earlier this year after a change in residency rules.
Archer was not named in England's provisional World Cup squad but has played for Morgan's side in pre-tournament games and, having impressed in his initial outings, could still make the final cut.
During the IPL, Archer was a rare positive for a struggling Rajasthan side.
Known for his express pace, he reached a top speed of 94.8mph, although South Africa fast bowler Kagiso Rabada was the quickest IPL bowler this year – attaining 95.8mph.
Archer might have hoped for more than 11 wickets from his 11 outings but he did keep the runs down with an economy of 6.76.
When asked if Archer should make the World Cup squad last week, former England captain Andrew Flintoff said: "He's got to be in. Who I would get rid of? Anyone. He's brilliant."
Are Smith and Warner in form for the Aussies after ban?
There will be plenty of eyes on batsmen Steve Smith and Warner following their return to the Australian squad after 12-month bans for their involvement in the ball-tampering controversy against South Africa in March 2018.
If the IPL is anything to go by, Warner looks like he is ready to make up for lost time.
He finished the tournament as the highest runscorer, with 692 runs from 12 innings and, in the process, hit one ton and eight half-centuries at a strike-rate of 143.86.
"It has been another phenomenal IPL for David Warner," said former Australia all-rounder and Sunrisers coach Tom Moody.
"It takes more than skill to emerge from the recent past – it shows great character, resilience and determination to rise as he has."
Smith did not capture as many headlines but still managed a respectable 319 from 10 innings at a strike-rate of 116.
He took over the captaincy of the Royals after a poor run under Ajinkya Rahane and led the team to three wins from five matches.
Don't forget about Dre
A player who encapsulates the destructive hitting and Bollywood extravagance of the IPL is West Indies all-rounder Andre Russell.
There is rarely a lost cause with him at the crease and he lit up the tournament with 52 sixes from the 249 balls he faced in 13 innings.
In comparison, the next most prolific six-hitter was Russell's fellow Windies player Chris Gayle with 34.
Russell also had the highest strike-rate 204.81 in the tournament, while he, along with Buttler, hit the equal highest runs off a single over with a hefty 28 against RCB.
The form of the 31-year-old, who completed a one-year anti-doping whereabouts ban in January 2018, and the fact Gayle looks as good as ever, means World T20 champions Windies will be a team to watch in the 50-over version.