Mumbai Indians become IPL 2015 champions

Kolkata Mumbai Indians annexed their 2nd IPL title thrashing Chennai Super Kings by 41 runs in the final to bring the curtains down to the eighth season of the cashrich T20 leagueEden Gardens proved lucky for Mumbai Indians once again They had won their previous IPL title in 2013 at the same venue against the same opponent CSK Also Ricky Ponting made it a double by lifting the sliverware as the head coach of the Mumbai franchise having already won the crown as a player with the side in 2013Earlier Skipper Rohit Sharma sizzled with a 26ball 50 while Lendl Simmons produced a fiery 68 as Mumbai Indians posted a huge 202 for five in the IPL summit clashALSO READ IPL 8 Final MI vs CSK Headtohead meetings individual records and more A target of 203 proved too much for the Chennai side and they collapsed to 161 for 8 to hand MI the trophy Only opener Dwayne Smith put up any fight making 57 off 48 balls The fact that the asking rate for the last 10 overs for Chennai was 136 and that CSK had scored only 31 runs in the Powerplay their lowest in a chase this IPL season showed just how onesided the game wasMumbai Indian batsmen Rohit Sharma left and Lendl Simmons put on a 119run secondwicket stand during the IPL final against CSK at Eden Garden in Kolkata on Sunday PicPTIThe MI skipper who has an ODI world record of 264 and also a debut Test hundred at the Eden Gardens yet again exploded at his favourite venueSharma slammed his third IPL fifty this season while Simmons was again consistent with a 45ball 68 his sixthhalfcentury as the duo put on a handsome 119 from 67 ballsAfter the duos dismissal in successive balls Ambati Rayudu 36 not out and Kieron Pollard 36 put on 71 runsfrom 40 balls for the fourth wicket to power them to a 200plus total in pursuit of their second titleChasing 203 to win Chennai Super Kings in the eighth Indian Premier League final at a packed Eden Gardens here on SundayPut in to bat the Mumbai Indians built their innings around two partnerships as they set an asking rate of 1015 for Chennai on a flat stripA rollicking 119run secondwicket stand between opener Lendl Simmons 68 45b 8x4 3x6 and skipper Rohit Sharma 50 26b 4x6 6x2 took the team to a position of solidity after the loss of opener Parthiv Patel in the opening over itselfThe fourth wicket partnership between Kieron Pollard 36 18b 2x4 3x6 and Ambati Rayudu 36 24b 3x6 added to the Chennai Super Kings bowlers miseryCaribbean Simmons who has batted with his characteristic flamboyance through the tournament opened up in the fourth over picking up a four and six off Ravichandran Ashwin A dozen came off the overNext he took on Ravindra Jadeja in the sixth over plundering 14 runsSimmons reached his half century with a somewhat lucky shot an edge as Pawan Negi only managed to get his hands to the leather before it slipped out The batsmen ran two and Mumbai were 981 at the halfway stageThe hundred came in 101 overs with Simmons disdainfully dispatching Jadeja to the boundaryRohit who has always found Eden a happy hunting ground went on the offensive from the word go smacking Mohit Sharma for 16 runs in the second over before unleashing some exquisite strokes during his stay in the middleDwayne Bravo finally broke the partnership by foxing Rohit with a slower ball Mumbai were 1203 in 12 oversSimmons returned in the very next delivery yorked by Dwayne SmithTrinidadian Pollard and Rayudu then came together and beat the bowlers to pulp on the foundation laid by Simmons and RohitPollard belted Nehra for 23 runs in the 17th over that included three sixes and one boundaryThe match saw action in the very first over sent down by Ashish Nehra Jolting the Mumbai Indians diminutive open Parthiv Patel went back without bothering the scorer victim of an outlandish fielding by Faf du PlessisThe batsman went for a flick but failed to execute it properly and set off for a run as Plessis closed in on the ball at mid on However the South African displayed razorsharp reflexes as he dived lost his balance but still in one action managed to unsettle the bailsFor Chennai Dwayne Bravo 2 for 36 was the most successful bowlerMumbai bowlers complimented the good work of the batsmen as they took the fizz out of the Chennais chase with a very disciplined effortThey straitjacketed the Chennai batsmen restricting them to 161 for eight as seasoned spinner Harbhajan Singh took key wickets of Dwayne Smith 57 and Suresh Raina 28 in two oversKiwi paceman Mitchell McClenaghan 325 took three wickets while his Lankan pace colleague Lasaith Malinga 225 scalped two batsmenChennai have now lost four finals 2008 2012 2013 2015 in six appearancesChasing the huge target CSK opted to have it easy and concetrated on building a platform after losing Michael Hussey 4 earlySmith and Raina bided their time and looked to consolidate but it meant that they managed only 31 runs from the first six overs The required runrate kept on going up and shot past 13 at the midway markSmith completed his halfcentury in 45 balls but only to be trapped lbw by Harbhajan in his penultimate over Having made a grand comeback into the Bangladeshbound Test side Harbhajan completed his spell in style dismissing RainaLooking to step out Raina was brilliantly deceived by the veteran offspinner who bowled a wide ball and Parthiv Patel did the rest behind the stumpsWith Hussey Smith and Raina back in pavillion and skipper Dhoni not looking in his usual element it looked as good as over for the yellow brigade who choked in an IPL final for a fourth time