The 13th edition of Indian Premier League (IPL) finally came to an end with Mumbai Indians (MI) clinching the title by beating Delhi Capitals (DC) in the final at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium on Tuesday (November 10).
Asked to bowl first, MI restricted DC to 156/7 in 20 overs, with Trent Boult (3-30) and Nathan Coulter-Nile (2-29) doing the bulk of the damage.
Captain Shreyas Iyer was the top-scorer for DC with 50-ball 65* while Rishabh Pant made 56 off 38 balls.
In reply, Mumbai rode on skipper Rohit Sharma’s dazzling 51-ball 68 to overhaul the target in 18.4 overs with 5 wickets in hand.
Speaking after the match, Rohit said: “I am quite happy with how things went the whole season. We said at the start that we need the winning habit. We couldn't have asked for anything more, right on the money from ball 1 and we never looked back. I think a lot of credit goes to the people who worked behind the scenes - often they go unnoticed.”
“Our work started long before the IPL started, and we wanted to make sure we filled the gaps in previous seasons. I had to find the balance to get the best out of them. I'm not someone who can run behind them with a stick, and it's important to instil confidence in the players. Krunal, Hardik and Pollard have done their job for a long time, they know their roles. Rahul missed out today, and we need to make sure we put an arm around him and assure him that he didn't do anything wrong and that it was a tactical move,” he added.
“We made sure Ishan and Surya had confidence - just have to let Ishan loose, and Surya is a more matured player. The kind of form he was in, I should have sacrificed my wicket for Surya. But throughout the tournament he has played some incredible shots. Unfortunately we couldn't have the fans at the stadium. We missed playing at the Wankhede and hopefully we can get back there next year,” the MI captain continued.
On the other hand, DC skipper Shreyas Iyer hailed coach Ricky Ponting for encouraging the players to express themselves.
“Ricky, the amount of freedom he gives us is outstanding. The way he motivates players is simply amazing. His team meetings and motivational speeches it quite incredible,” he said.
Reflecting on Delhi’s campaign, Iyer remarked: “The IPL always amazes you, it's one of the toughest leagues to play. I'm overwhelmed to be part of it, and I'm really proud of my boys, the way they have played to reach the final, it's not easy. Winning the IPL would have been better, but we will see to it that we lift the trophy next year. I would like to thank our fans, and we're thankful for all the support that has been showered on us throughout the season.”
(Inputs from Cricbuzz)
