Mumbai Indians beat Delhi Capitals in the final of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2020, sealing their fifth title in the process.
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When it comes to the Indian Premier League (IPL), it is hard to look past Mumbai Indians as the benchmark for how a successful team should be run.
The franchise have won five titles, more than any team in the league. What’s more, their approach to player development is well-documented. It is little surprise that the team blood plenty of future international stars.
What’s more, the side toppled one dominant franchise en route to their rise. Before MI, it was the Chennai Super Kings who were the undisputed kings – no pun intended – of the league.
However, since their first title in 2013, MI have become the top dogs of the cash-rich tournament. And they became the first side to win five titles on this very day one year ago.
With a year having passed since the achievement, let us now look back at what was and is an amazing feat.
2020 was a year where everything was put on halt due to the coronavirus pandemic. The IPL 2020 was no exception to that rule.
The league, which normally takes place in March-April, came about just as COVID-19 began to wreak havoc around the world – not just in India. As such, a postponement was inevitable.
By the time the BCCI was willing to hold the tournament, the COVID situation had not fully improved in India. Thus, the call was taken to host it in the UAE.
Obviously, given the conditions the tournament was taking place in, it was decided to play the tournament behind closed doors.
Going into the tournament, Mumbai Indians were seen as one of the favourites. Given they had won the 2019 edition in thrilling fashion, this was a given.
However, the other contenders were not quite known. What’s more, the nature of the league – being arranged on short notice and with the absence of fans – was expected to play a part in the games.
As such, there was a sense of unpredictability around the tournament. Which was not a bad thing at all.
The Mumbai Indians are traditionally seen as slow starters in the IPL league stages. That was again true in 2020, where they only registered a single win in their first three games.
By contrast, Delhi Capitals won five of their first six games to establish themselves as serious contenders. The bowling unit of Anrich Nortje and Kagiso Rabada tore through opposition line-ups. And the batting unit, led by Shikhar Dhawan at the top, looked imperious.
However, MI’s late peak in the group stages actually helped them. It ensured they had form and momentum on their side going into the knockout stages.
After their first three games, they went on a five-match winning streak. Kings XI Punjab, Sunrisers Hyderabad, Rajasthan Royals, Delhi Capitals and the Kolkata Knight Riders succumbed to MI.
Their winning streak ended with a Super Over loss to Kings Xi. However, three wins in their final five games ensured they ended the group stages as table toppers.
Delhi, by contrast, lost four of their last five group games. However, their good start to the tournament saw them finish in second, 2 points ahead of the next-best placed team.
This meant they took on Mumbai in Qualifier 1, which gave the losing side an advantage. Win the match and you’re through to the final. Lose, and you can still make the final with a win in Qualifier 2, where they will face the winner of the Eliminator.
MI inflicted a heavy defeat on DC in the Qualifier, where they scored 200 in the first innings and bundled out the Capitals for 143.
However, DC would beat Sunrisers Hyderabad in a high-scoring Qualifier 2 to seal their spot in the finals.
It’s worth noting that, in their three previous matches against Delhi, it was Mumbai who emerged victorious. Therefore, not only did they have winning momentum in general – they also had the psychological edge of knowing they could beat Delhi easily.
And the previous defeats did leave a scar. In Qualifier 1, DC had won the toss and elected to field first. In response, MI put up a total of 200 and DC never stood a chance.
Thus, in the final, when Shreyas Iyer again won the toss, he opted to bat first. However, it was a decision that did not work out at all.
The decision to open with Marcus Stoinis proved foolish, as he edged one to Quinton de Kock off the first ball of Trent Boult. To make things worse, DC lost Dhawan and Ajinkya Rahane within the first 4 overs.
Iyer and Rishabh Pant stabalised the innings, with both scoring valuable half-centuries. However, the lower order floundered too and DC only managed 156 in their 20 overs.
DC needed quick wickets if they were to have any chance of winning the final. But while they did get De Kock and Suryakumar Yadav, Rohit made a valuable 68.
By the time he was dismissed, MI needed 20 runs to win which they got with relative ease. Thus, their momentous achievement was sealed.
