Sun, 09 Oct 2011 - IP Bangalore vs IP Mumbai, Champions T20 League 2011,Final Match - Bulletin

Mumbai Indians pip RCB to lift CL title

Mumbai Indians were never an automatic choice for the list of pre-tournament favourites. More so, when they lost eight of their first choice players in the lead up to the league due to injuries and struggled to put together a squad of fifteen. The IPL side defied all the odds to emerge as the winners of the Champions League.

They did so by beating another IPL side Royal Challengers Bangalore by a comfortable margin of 31 runs in the finals at Chinnaswamy Stadium, Chennai . Mumbai overcome a scrappy batting effort that saw them post only 139 thanks to James Franklin’s 29-ball 41 to give yet another solid performance with the ball and another field.

Favourites for the title, the RCB succumbed to the big match pressure and turning Chepauk turf couldn’t be mastered crumbling to 108 all-out.Mumbai, clearly, proved to be a better team on the day. James Franklin starred with the bat, skipper Harbhajan Singh led from the front, young spinner Yuzvendra Chahal was a surprise package, Lasith Malinga, the bowler, wasn’t conquered and Kieran Pollard was as bubbly as ever on the field. The skipper reserved his best for the big day taking three wickets for 20 in his four while only nine runs were scored off the leggie’s three overs which produced a brace of wickets as well.

For the RCB, there wasn’t any hero with the bat. Neither Chris Gayle nor Virat Kohli could come to the party. And, young RCB batters were done by the occasion. Consequently, had to contend with runners-up trophy.

The RCB got the chase off to a typical fashion. T Dilshan cracked five fours upfront to take score to 38 at the end of four overs, and, at that moment of time, it looked RCB would run away with the proceedings. Things changed altogether when Malinga bowled pacy delivery to disturb his Sri Lankan skipper Dilshan for a breezy 20-ball 17. Harbhajan’s first over, sixth of the innings, gave indication of things to come. The ball turned jumped and turned alarmingly and Bhajji ended the over netting the big fish. The offie trapped Gayle leg before when the marauder missed a straighter one for a 12-ball five.

As the game progressed, the Chennai pitch became slower and run making difficult. And, that is where Mumbai spinners cashed in, and, their job was made easier by RCB’s reckless batting.With ball turning the way it was, Chahal and Harbhajan slipped in some tight overs as asking rate started to mount. Mayank Agarwal was holed out in the deep off Chahal and Kohli’s 19-ball stay for 11 ended when he was caught in the deep trying to slog-sweep his Indian teammate Harbhajan. Chahal completed Mumbai’s command over the proceedings luring Arun Karthik into a false stroke for a 3-ball duck.

Such was Mumbai’s domination that only a single boundary (six) was hit between 10th and twentieth over. Saurabh Tiwary, Mohammad Kaif and Daniel Vettori couldn’t get the big shot away against disciplined and spirited bowling performance and all three of them lost their wicket in search of quick runs.

In the end, RCB were all out falling 31 short of the target to give Champions League a new champion.The RCB’s bowling show wasn’t as dismal as their batting effort. Their thought out bowling was backed up by their swift fielding effecting three run-outs.

After deciding to bat, Mumbai had an inauspicious start losing openers inside four overs for 24. Aiden Blizzard was run-out and his partner Sarul Kanwar’s stumps were rattled by much improved Dirk Nannes. Ambati Rayudu and Franklin steadied the ship with a well constructed 41-run stand for the third wicket. The number three Rayudu went caught at the covers by leaping Gayle of Raju Bhatkal but Franklin continued to guide the progress. The Kiwi left hander mixed aggression with sensible stroke to carry the innings forward hitting a couple of sixes and as many fours.

Mumbai were well placed at 105 for three in the 14th over but lost four quick wickets to have a slide. Franklin and Suryakumar Yadav were both run-out and Vettori removed Pollard and Harbhajan for two and a duck respectively in one over to script the collapse.

Malinga, for the third time, in the tournament scored some vital runs at the back end of the innings to give some respectability to the scoreboard. The paceman hit two sixes in his 11-ball 16 before his team disintegrated to 139 all-out.

Man of the Match: Harbhajan Singh

Man of the Tournament: Lasith Malinga

Golden ball Award: Lasith Malinga

Golden bat Award: David Warner