OTD: Mumbai Indians won their third IPL title in 2017

Mumbai Indians (MI) are the joint-most successful team in the Indian Premier League (IPL). They have won the coveted IPL title six times. Only Chennai Super Kings (CSK) have won six titles in the cash-rich league. Mumbai Indians had to wait for five seasons before they won their first title. Rohit Sharma took charge of the team midway through the 2013 season and helped them lift the trophy. In the next seven years, Mumbai lifted four more titles. They were the first team to win the IPL on five different occasions.
On May 21, 2017, the Mumbai Indians won their third IPL title in 2017. Under Rohit’s astute leadership, MI had a very smooth campaign. They started with a defeat to the Rising Pune Supergiant. However, they bounced back remarkably to win six matches in a row. At the end of the round-robin phase of the tournament, Mumbai finished at the top of the points table. They won 10 matches and lost four.
In Qualifier 1, Mumbai lost to Pune by 20 runs at the iconic Wankhede Stadium. Meanwhile, Kolkata Knight Riders won the Eliminator against the Sunrisers Hyderabad. Mumbai defeated the Knights in Qualifier 2 in Bengaluru to cruise into the summit clash.
At the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium in Hyderabad, Mumbai faced Pune. It turned out to be a low-scoring thriller. Mumbai Indians won the toss and opted to bat first. However, they lost two quick wickets inside the power play. Rohit contributed with 24 off 22 balls, but it was Krunal Pandya who was the star of the show with the bat. He scored 47 runs off 38 deliveries, belting three fours and two sixes. From 79/7 in the 15th over, Krunal’s partnership with Mitchell Johnson helped MI post 129/8.
Pune would have backed themselves to chase the 130-run target, despite the pitch being on the sluggish side. Rahul Tripathi was dismissed early by Jasprit Bumrah, but Ajinkya Rahane and Steven Smith steadied the ship with a 54-run stand.
Johnson broke the partnership, dismissing Rahane six runs short of a half-century. MS Dhoni batted at No. 4 but couldn’t make an impact. Manoj Tiwary was also dismissed cheaply as the onus was on Smith to take his team home. However, Johnson dismissed him in the final over for a 50-ball 51. Pune needed three runs to win off the last ball. Daniel Christian hit the ball to the deep square leg fielder. J Suchith fumbled but recovered quickly to throw it back to wicketkeeper Parthiv Patel. Washington Sundar put in the dive at the striker’s end, but Patel took the bails off before he could get back into the crease. Mumbai won the match by one run, making the encounter one of the most memorable IPL finals.

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