Unwavering commitment, insatiable hunger to perform and great focus on the details are some of the traits, Mumbai Indians (MI) players said, have resulted in their sustained excellence in the Indian Premier League (IPL).
Drubbing past Delhi Capitals (DC) for the fourth time this season, MI lifted the prestigious IPL trophy on an unprecedented fifth occasion in Dubai this Tuesday (November 10).
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The near-perfect side had another near-perfect day as they dominated DC for most parts, restricting them to a modest 156/7 before going past it very comfortably in the second half.
"Mumbai have a great set up, so we've been able to move with the gym work and training and stuff. We're reaping the rewards today for it. It's a great feeling," said opener Quinton de Kock, who was terrific all season.
"I think this year because there were so many questions around Mumbai in general, whether we can win back to back, we put in extra effort. You can see it's paid off. We worked extra hard on the nitty gritties."
One-sided end to a tournament where playoffs race was perhaps the closest may have felt anti-climatic to some. But MI had no reason to complain, having put in years of hardwork and investment in building their dynasty.
"It's a great feeling. I've been here 11 years, fifth trophy. No one sees the planning and training, it's pressure playing for a franchise like this," said vice-captain Kieron Pollard who, when skipper Rohit Sharma was injured, oversaw some of his team's crucial wins.
"The amount of trophies, the amount of work, the amount of players who go on to play for their countries, I think we'll have to say so (that this is the best T20 franchise)."
"It's the hunger," stressed spin all-rounder Krunal Pandya. "The way we went about the games, there was always 100 percent. A lot of credit goes to how we prepared. One month before we came, everyone knew their roles."
"Everyone was in good shape, just executing what they were doing in the nets."
Middle-order batsman, Suryakumar Yadav, a vital cog in his team's wheels this year, put MI's success down to preparation and following the processes correctly.
"Preparations, processes and routine is important. the team just said one thing - we'll take care of this. You go and express yourself," he said.
(Inputs from PTI)
