With three left-handers in the opposition, the decision to induct offie Jayant on the big day inspite of him not having too many games under his belt, showed MIs belief in their bench
MI's Jayant Yadav bowls against Delhi Capitals at Dubai on Tuesday. PIC/IPL; BCCI
A big final can be daunting for the favourite team as well. 'What if we have a bad day at the office? What if we don't have the rub of the green?' These questions often crop up to play spoil sport to the morale of a side that may have been impeccable in its performance through a long tournament.
Mumbai Indians showed no insecurity for the uncontrollables and displayed a clear mind, a pragmatic strategy to lift the IPL trophy on Tuesday.
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Yadav claims in-form Dhawan
The defining moment was the move to bring in Jayant Yadav. With three left-handers in the opposition, having an off-spinner would be the natural thought process but a decision to induct Yadav on the big day inspite of him not having too many games under his belt, showed the kind of belief MI had in their bench strength.
Yadav did what he was picked for, getting the prolific and dangerous Shikhar Dhawan. Figures of 4-0-25-1 by a player who has been benched more often than not, tells you the decision worked for MI and DC failed to capitalise on a bowler they may have targeted.
Trent has been bolting the gate of runs for the opposition in the powerplay. He was no different in the final. Marcus Stoinis and Ajinkya Rahane succumbing to Boult meant the dent was created in the DC top order.
It took a positive counterattack by the upright skipper Shreyas Iyer and out-of-form Rishabh Pant to bring DC back into the game. But Pant, after an admirable knock, got out just when he had the opposition in a spot of bother.
Death overs hurt Delhi
Iyer reiterated his class with 65 at a strike rate of 130. If there is a constructive comment to make on his innings, it would be his drop in strike rate between his 40 to 50. To be fair, he lost Pant in that phase so taking undue risks may have produced a double whammy for MI at that stage. The final two overs and a bit at the death hurt DC's batting plans.
MI's bowling throttled the flow of easy runs and DC were restricted to a modest 156.
Delhi competed well. If they had an area to address, it was the consistency in the top-order.
Mumbai were clinical in their run chase. A start of 45 and Rohit looking good to go the distance, the fickleness of turnarounds seemed unlikely.
With the ever so reliable Ishan Kishan in their ranks, Mumbai showed why they are used to big games and big days. Champions in 2013, 2015, 2017, 2019 and 2020...this MI team looked settled.
They now have options for injury, different conditions and can pick players judiciously depending on the opposition strength and weakness. Most importantly, it is paying dividends.
Also Read: Rohit 'Hitman' Sharma - A story of 50, 200, 3,000 and 4,000!
There seems to be role cut out for each player. They seem to be sticking to it and not going beyond an endeavour to keep it simple.
Success is a lousy teacher. It seduces smart people into thinking they can't lose. This Mumbai side appeared conscious of that and were quietly confident.
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