HIGHLIGHTS, IPL 2019, MI vs CSK Final: Lasith Malinga produced an incredible last over to defend nine runs as Mumbai Indians claimed undisputed supremacy in the IPL by securing their fourth title with a narrow one-run win over Chennai Super Kings in a pulsating final on Sunday. CSK needed nine runs off the last over but the experienced Lankan paceman Malinga kept his nerve to concede eight. He trapped Shardul Thakur leg before in the last ball after Watson (80 off 59) got run out two balls earlier. Before that Jasprit Bumrah kept Mumbai in the hunt with his tidy overs and two wickets, getting rid of Dwayne Bravo and Ambati Rayudu. The premier Indian pacer produced 13 dot balls in his testing overs. Young leg-spinner Rahul Chahar also played a key role in the middle overs as he too created pressure by bowling 13 dot balls. Both teams were tied at three IPL titles each heading into the finale with Mumbai holding the upper hand, having beaten CSK thrice earlier in the competition. The heart-stopping finish came after a disciplined bowling performance from CSK who restricted Mumbai Indians to 149 for eight. CSK, have now lost to Mumbai for the third time in four finals (SCORECARD)
23.51 IST:
A new experience for @ImRo45 who lifts his little munchkin before lifting the #VIVOIPL #MIvCSK pic.twitter.com/oqsih3xfk4
— IndianPremierLeague (@IPL) May 12, 2019
23.45 IST:
Your name is embossed one more time, @mipaltan #VIVOIPL #MIvCSK pic.twitter.com/6dnuhcnzYL
— IndianPremierLeague (@IPL) May 12, 2019
23.40 IST:
#OneFamily, Champion Family #OneFamily #CricketMeriJaan #MumbaiIndians #IPL2019Final #MIvCSK pic.twitter.com/NQKZ0g9Bxc
— Mumbai Indians (@mipaltan) May 12, 2019
23.33 IST: MUMBAI ARE THE CHAMPIONS FOR THE FOURTH TIME! Malinga holds his composure. He delivers a slower full length ball on middle and leg, Thakur is deceived there as he is early into his shot. Misses the ball completely and is rapped on the pads. They appeal and the umpire has his finger up almost instantly. Start the celebration. Mumbai Indians (149/8) beat Chennai Super Kings (148/7) by 1 run in thriller to win record fourth title in Hyderabad. Watson 80, Bumrah 2/14
23.27 IST: Shane Watson is run-out for 80! What a big moment in this match! A very full length delivery outside off, Shane squeezes it out through backward point and crosses for a run. Plenty of hesitation over the second run and Watson eventually decides to go for it. The throw comes to the keeper who collects it and deflects it onto the stumps as the Aussie dives in. It’s referred upstairs and the replays find Watson well short. Fantastic knock by him but he has left his team in a spot. 4 needed off 2 balls. CSK 146/6 in 19.4 overs vs MI (149/8)
23.23 IST: Four byes! What a point in the match to err! Bumrah dishes out a sharp delivery again, it’s short and outside off, Jadeja swishes and misses. De Kock tries to collect but it goes right through his gloves and reaches the fence behind. Chennai 142/5 in 19 overs vs Mumbai (149/8)
23.20 IST: OUT! Jasprit Bumrah removes Dwayne Bravo for 15. Bravo is caught behind! This match is not over yet. Going right down to the wire. Bumrah bowls it with a lot of fire and intensity. Digs in a short ball on middle at 148.5 kph, Bravo moves back to play a big pull shot but edges it behind. Third dismissal in the match for de Kock. 17 needed off 10 balls. Chennai Super Kings 133/5 in 18.2 overs vs Mumbai Indians (149/8)
23.15 IST: SIX! Out of here! Hat-trick of sixers! Watson, you ageless beauty! Loopy delivery, full and around leg, Shane clears his front leg, goes down on one knee and smokes it over mid-wicket. CSK 132/4 in 17.5 overs vs MI (149/8)
23.13 IST: SIX! Watson has sent it rocketing over covers. Clean hit. Clean as a whistle! Floated one, full and wide outside off, Watson unleashes onto the room on offer and dispatches it into the stand. Chennai Super Kings 125/4 in 17.4 overs vs Mumbai Indians (149/8)
23.11 IST: MIX-UP, SAFE! A length ball, around middle and leg, Watson looks to swipe across the line but misses. The ball hits his bats and deflects to the off side. Bravo is looking for the single but Watto sends him back. Bumrah rushes to his left, picks it up and has a shy at the bowler’s end and appeals but umpire Ian Gould does not even take it upstairs. Replays show that Bravo is well in.
23.04 IST:
Happy to see his back #OneFamily #CricketMeriJaan #MumbaiIndians #IPL2019Final #MIvCSK pic.twitter.com/x7PLSuGsvo
— Mumbai Indians (@mipaltan) May 12, 2019
22.59 IST: FOUR! Watson has launched himself here. 19 from the over, so far. Malinga once again fails to find the blockhole and ends up delivering a juicy half-volley outside off. Watson latches onto it and spanks it to the deep cover fence. Chennai 108/4 in 16 overs vs Mumbai (149/8)
22.57 IST: EDGY FOUR! Malinga is very full with his length, it’s just outside off, Watson crouches a bit to hit it square on the off side but it takes the outside edge and screams past short third man for a boundary. CSK 95/4 in 15.3 overs vs MI (149/8)
22.55 IST: SIX! Ufff… those wrists of steel! Malinga spears in a fuller length ball on middle and leg, Bravo swings his bat across the line and dismisses it over mid-wicket.
22.45 IST: OUT! Dhoni is inches short, feels the third umpire! Body blow to Chennai and Mumbai will be feeling on top. Hardik serves a short ball on middle, Watson tries to pull it but fails to middle his shot properly. It probably goes off his gloves towards square leg and they cross. Dhoni calls his partner for the second as the fielder misses his shy at the bowler’s end. The long off fielder collects the ball in the deep and scores a direct hit at the bowler’s end as Dhoni drags his bat in. The third umpire is referred and after watching numerous replays from different angles, he has pressed OUT on the giant screen. No benefit of the doubt to the batsman. It was really close to be honest. One frame was finding MS just in, another one had the bat just on the line. Touch and go, you never know. Mumbai are not complaining. Ishan Kishan was the fielder who hit the jackpot for Mumbai with his bull’s eye. Chennai under pressure now. Chennai Super Kings 83/4 in 13 overs vs Mumbai Indians (149/8)
22.43 IST: Appeal for a run out. MS Dhoni is the batsman in question as there is a direct hit at the non-striker’s end. Big moment in the match! This one is turning out to be very close. The third umpire is watching numerous angles, in one frame MS is out, in another, he appears short… Good luck to the third umpire.
22.41 IST: STAT ALERT – Bumrah vs Dhoni in T20s (Prior to today). Runs – 47, Balls – 46, Outs – 3. This will be THE contest that decides the tournament.
22.35 IST: FOUR! Misfield from Bumrah! Loopy delivery, around leg and going down, Watson kneels down and sweeps it firmly in the direction of short fine leg. Bumrah there puts in a dive to his left but it brushes his hands and runs behind for a boundary. 71 needed off 48 balls. CSK 79/3 in 12 overs vs MI (149/8)
22.28 IST:
Bumrah heating things up for the @mipaltan.#IPL2019Final #MIvCSK pic.twitter.com/YZnmBBccXr
— IndianPremierLeague (@IPL) May 12, 2019
22.25 IST: OUT! Jasprit Bumrah removes Ambati Rayudu for 1. Bumrah has done the job. Rohit brought him to do just that. He digs in a short ball on middle at 136.4 kph, Rayudu tries his best to pull but fails to counter the extra bounce. It goes over his bat, tickles his gloves and flies behind to the keeper. Quinton de Kock makes no mistake and Mumbai are roaring back into this match. 77 needed off 57 balls as the crowd is going mad. It’s time for, guess who? Chennai 73/2 in 10.3 overs vs Mumbai (149/8)
22.21 IST: OUT! Rahul Chahar removes Suresh Raina for 8. That’s hitting the middle stump! Raina’s time is over! Chahar provides the breakthrough. A leg spinner again. Landing around middle and turning back in a shade. Raina rather than getting forward, stays back to work it around. He fails to put bat on ball and is hit flush on the pads. The finger goes up immediately after the appeal is made. Raina decides to once again chance his luck and takes the DRS. But this time the replays show that it has hit him in line and is crashing onto the stumps. 80 needed off 64 balls. Chennai Super Kings 70/2 in 9.2 overs vs Mumbai Indians
22.07 IST: The strategic break has been signaled and it is a much-needed one for Mumbai. Chennai are going along really well here. They are the one who have dominated the Powerplay and they need another 97 in 84 balls. They would hope to continue in the same manner. Mumbai on the other hand, need wickets and a couple of them that too quickly. They now have time to re-group and come up with a plan. Will they fight back or will Chennai continue to dominate? Also, Mitchell McClenaghan is back!
22.04 IST: FOUR! Bang! A typical Watson shot! There isn’t enough room on this one, it’s bowled around off, Shane jumps on the back foot to create room and whacks it past the right side of short third man for a boundary. CSK 53/1 in 6 overs vs MI
21.56 IST: OUT! Krunal Pandya removes Faf du Plessis for 26, he is stumped! Krunal gets his revenge eventually. Smart bowling by him. He senses the charge from the batsman again and smartly slips in a fullish ball wide outside off. Du Plessis fails to reach out and de Kock behind the stumps does the rest. The cameo from the South African is over but he has done the early damage. 117 needed off 96 balls.
21.51 IST: FOUR! Faf keeps going and keeps getting the desired result. Makes room and Krunal fires it full on middle, this is driven square on the off side. beats the fielders inside the ring and then there is no stopping it. Chennai 29/1 in 3.5 overs vs Mumbai (149/8)
21.47 IST: FOUR! Thumped! Loopy and full around middle, du Plessis jumps out of the crease and powers it over the bowler’s head. Terrific footwork.
21.44 IST: FIVE RUNS! Bonus runs for Chennai. Not what Mumbai can afford. To begin with, it was another run out chance. Faf taps it to the left of de Kock and sets off for a single. Quinton picks the ball up and has a shy at the non-striker’s end but misses. There is no one backing up and the ball goes to the fence. The last ball somewhat spoils the over for Malinga. 7 from it.
21.38 IST: FOUR! That is a beauty. Tossed up, outside off, Watto leans and drives it through the covers! CSK 12/0 in 2 overs vs MI (149/8)
21.34 IST: FOUR! Glorious! Faf du Plessis is off the mark in style. Mitchell bowls a half volley outside off, Faf leans into it and strokes it through covers. The ball races away. Chennai 6/0 in 0.4 overs vs Mumbai (149/8)
21.31 IST: We are back for the chase! Out walk Shane Watson and Faf du Plessis, the Chennai openers. The Mumbai players are in a huddle and now stride out to the middle. The new ball is given to Mitchell McClenaghan. He will be bowling to Faf du Plessis. Here we go…
21.30 IST:
Deepak Chahar is our game changer for the first innings for his outstanding bowling figures of 3/26 pic.twitter.com/HwaVVnQ9QU
— IndianPremierLeague (@IPL) May 12, 2019
21.28 IST: Decent bowling effort from Chennai. They started poorly but then came back strongly. Deepak Chahar was the pick of the bowlers, with 3/26 in his 4 overs but the real impact was provided by Shardul Thakur. He got the opening breakthrough and took a stunning caught and bowled of Krunal Pandya. The rest were economical and ensured that Mumbai did not run away with the game.
21.23 IST: That is more than a competitive total on this surface. 150 might look less on paper but in a final, this is mighty big. Probably, Mumbai will feel that they are 10 runs light but if dew does not take effect, which should not, the bowler for the Men In Blue should come out all guns blazing. After electing to bat, de Kock and Rohit got the team off to an attacking start, which was expected. But what followed next, came as a surprise. Shardul Thakur got de Kock and then, Chennai started to apply the choke. Batsmen came in and went out, without moving the scoreboard much. In the end, Kieron Pollard’s unbeaten 41 from 25 powered the Blue side close to 150.
21.20 IST:
Innings Break!
The @ChennaiIPL restrict #MumbaiIndians to a total of 149/8 in Finals of the #VIVOIPL.
Will #CSK chase this down? pic.twitter.com/kVTcVqDnAq
— IndianPremierLeague (@IPL) May 12, 2019
21.17 IST: They get it as Pollard has smashed this one too! Brute power by the big man! Bravo once again misses the yorker and bowls it full and outside off. Pollard hammers it through covers and there is no stopping that. 9 from the last over and MUMBAI FINISH WITH 149/8! Mumbai Indians 149/8 in 20 overs vs Chennai Super Kings. Pollard 41*, de Kock 29, Chahar 3/26, Tahir 2/23
21.16 IST: Powered! Full and around off, he misses the yorker but just. Pollard smashes it through covers. It is in the gap and it races away to the fence. Mumbai would love one more.
21.15 IST: Pollard is having some amusement in the middle. The umpires are not amused though and immediately have a word with him. The previous ball was a very big wide but umpire Menon did not feel that it was wide. Pollard frustratingly threw his bat in the air and for this ball, he was standing well outside the pitch, went even wider and when Bravo was about to deliver, just pulled out, walking in front of the sticks!
21.13 IST: Run-Out! Mitch McClenaghan is run-out for 1. He is way short! McClenaghan has sacrificed his wicket. The good thing for Mumbai is, Pollard will be on strike. Full and on off, Pollard hits it down to long off. They take one and go for the double which was never on. Faf throws it to the bowler who takes it and whips the bails off. The umpire takes it upstairs and replay shows that McClenaghan’s dive has not saved him. Mumbai Indians 141/8 in 19.4 overs vs Chennai Super Kings
21.11 IST: Another dot! This though could have been called a wide! This is outside the tramline and Pollard makes a leave by moving a little towards his off pole. Pollard looks at the umpire but once again, no wide give. Three dots to begin the last over, Chennai could not have asked for a better start. Mumbai 140/7 in 19.3 overs vs Chennai
21.07 IST:
Two in two for Deepak Chahar #IPL2019 #MIvCSK pic.twitter.com/dJ7Wi99Nxr
— IndianPremierLeague (@IPL) May 12, 2019
21.04 IST:
Trapped in front! Cherry with the death over strike! #WhistlePodu #Yellove #IPL2019Final #CSKvMI pic.twitter.com/XMeobhU2qc
— Chennai Super Kings (@ChennaiIPL) May 12, 2019
21.01 IST: OUT! Deepak Chahar removes Hardik Pandya for 16. Plumb LBW in the end. He takes the review along with him. The question to be asked is, why did he take a review? He would have surely known if he would have hit it right? Anyway, Chennai will celebrate as they have got the danger man. A yorker on middle, Pandya looks to flick but misses. Gets hit on the pad. Chahar appeals and the umpire raises his finger. Pandya straightaway reviews. Replays roll in and they show that the on-field call is the right one. Raina can breathe a huge sigh of relief as the dropped catch did not cost a lot. MI 140/6 in 18.2 overs vs CSK
20.58 IST: SIX! That is why you do not drop this guy! What a shot! Very full and on middle, Pandya plays the helicopter, connects well and it sails over the mid-wicket stand. Mumbai Indians 136/5 in 18 overs vs Chennai Super Kings
20.56 IST: SIX! This is outta here! We are witnessing a Polly special. Short and outside off, Pollard swivels and pulls it massively over mid-wicket!
20.53 IST: DROPPED! Raina has spilled a dolly. How costly is this going to prove? If there is one man you do not want to drop at this stage, it is Hardik Pandya. He is a game-changer. Thakur bowls it short and on off. Pandya goes back and looks to slice it but only manages a top edge. It lobs towards Raina who is running backward from covers. The sweeper cover fielder also runs in. Raina though goes for it but he does not hang onto it. A single taken.
20.51 IST: SIX! He has picked the bones out of that one! Yes, it is a gift but it still has to be put away. Tahir bowls a half-tracker on middle, Pollard goes back and pulls it with ease over the square leg fence. Mumbai 119/5 in 16.5 overs vs Chennai
20.48 IST: FOUR! JUST SHORT, Good try though by Chahar! This is bowled outside off, Pollard hits it hard towards sweeper cover. Chahar there gets a second to decide whether to go for the catch or to keep it down to one. He chooses the former. Runs in and then dives ahead but the ball lands short and goes past him for a boundary.
20.45 IST:
How many of you were waiting for this Imran Tahir celebration?#IPL2019Final #MIvCSK pic.twitter.com/LH1a1PeLTR
— IndianPremierLeague (@IPL) May 12, 2019
20.43 IST: OUT! Tahir gets another one, Ishan Kishan departs for 23. He is up and running in celebration. He gets his second and he also becomes the leading wicket taker of this year’s edition. However, the shot here can be questioned. Having got a six already in this over, was this needed from Kishan? Not sure what was going on in his mind. He makes room and then looks to hit this ball on middle over mid-wicket. It was the googly and all he got was a top edge which went high up in the air towards cover. Raina there takes a dolly. Chennai managing to be on top by taking wickets regularly. Mumbai 102/5 in 15 overs vs Chennai
20.40 IST: SIX! Welcome back into the attack, Tahir! A freebie to begin with. A full toss on off, Pollard lofts it over the long off fence for a biggie. 100 up for Mumbai, 35 legal balls to go after this. How many will they target?
20.35 IST:
MS Dhoni’s involvement in getting rid of both the #MumbaiIndians openers takes him to 132 dismissals in #VIVOIPL – setting a new record.#MIvCSK pic.twitter.com/dACuk70Akw
— IndianPremierLeague (@IPL) May 12, 2019
20.32 IST: OUT! Shardul Thakur removes Krunal Pandya for 7. What a catch that by Thakur. Take a bow. He has covered so much distance there and hangs onto it in the end. Once again it is the short ball which does the trick and once again the change in bowling works wonders for Chennai. It is a quick one on the body of the batsman. Krunal is way too late on the pull shot. He gets a top edge which lobs on the leg side. Thakur sprints towards the ball, gets two hands to it but the ball pops out. He keeps his eyes on it and then hangs on. Tumbles onto the ground after doing so. Mumbai in trouble here. MI 89/4 in 12.5 overs vs CSK
20.25 IST: OUT! Imran Tahir removes Suryakumar Yadav for 15. TIMBER! The budding partnership has been cut short. Timely wicket for Chennai as the runs were starting to come again for Mumbai. It is the slider and on middle, Yadav goes back and looks to guide but the shot was never on. There was not a lot of room on offer. It goes off the inside edge, onto his pads and then onto the stumps. The one who anchored Mumbai’s chase in Qualifier 1, has to walk back. Big wicket! Mumbai Indians 82/3 in 11.2 overs vs Chennai Super Kings
20.23 IST: Two boundaries from Bhajji’s final over of the spell, Mumbai getting a move on here. Full toss and put away! Back-to-back good overs for Mumbai. 10 form this one. 22 from the last 2. Kishan whips this in the gap in the mid-wicket region and bags a boundary. End of Harbhajan’s spell for tonight. He was brilliant till his last over. Ends with figures of 4-0-27-0. Mumbai 80/2 in 11 overs vs Chennai
20.17 IST: FOUR! Well bowled but excellently played! It is the dipping low full toss. Kishan initially goes for the sweep but then the ball dips on him. He goes down even more and hits it behind square on the leg side for a boundary. Second of the over. MI 70/2 in 10 overs vs CSK
20.14 IST: STRATEGIC BREAK. Good comeback by Chennai after an onslaught in the early overs of the Powerplay. 30/0 in the first 3 and then just 28 in the next 6, signalling the control exerted by the bowling side. This will be the spin time for Chennai, something which they excel in, but Mumbai too, have quality batsmen who play spin well. Should be a fascinating contest.
20.08 IST: So 3 singles in this over! This one brings up the 50. Yadav goes back once again and this time works it through square leg. Mumbai 53/2 in 8 overs vs Chennai
20.01 IST:
Cherry back into the attack and strikes with the second ball! Thala grabs one with a diving effort! #WhistlePodu #Yellove #IPL2019Final #CSKvsMI pic.twitter.com/dRqCJORcOT
— Chennai Super Kings (@ChennaiIPL) May 12, 2019
19.57 IST: OUT! Rohit Sharma falls for 15, Deepak Chahar claims the big fish. Change of ends for Chahar does the trick! Back-to-back wickets for Chennai. Excellent slower one on off, it dips on the batsman and also moves away a little. Sharma looks to go downtown but ends up playing inside the line. The ball kisses the outside edge and goes low towards Dhoni who takes it diving forward. MI 45/2 in 5.3 overs vs CSK
19.55 IST: OUT! Shardul Thakur has the last laugh as he removes Quinton de Kock for 29. In the air… taken! He goes back to bowling a seam-up ball and bangs it short on the body of de Kock. The delivery skids through. De Kock is way too late on the pull. It hits his glove and lobs towards Dhoni who takes it. De Kock has already started walking. Thakur gives him a send-off. A much-needed wicket for Chennai. The free-flowing opening stand has been cut short. De Kock goes back after playing a good cameo. Chennai will now try and pull things back a little. Mumbai Indians 45/1 in 5 overs vs Chennai Super Kings
19.53 IST: SIX! That made a cracking sound of the bat! The slower one and it is shorter in length. De Kock waits for it and then hammers it over the mid-wicket fence. Even Sachin Tendulkar was impressed, such was the quality of the shot. MI 45/0 in 4.4 overs vs CSK
19.49 IST: FOUR! Swept and swept fine! The last ball kind of spoils the over. This is on the pads, Sharma sweeps it with the turn through square leg and bags a boundary.
19.45 IST: SIX! Dealing in maximums are Mumbai. Another top class shot. De Kock makes room and Chahar feeds another full ball on off. QdK just lifts it over covers and it goes all the way. Third of the over! Mumbai Indians 30/0 in 3 overs vs Chennai Super Kings
19.41 IST: SIX! De Kock now joins the party! WOW! This is some hit. He shuffles right across on off and this is full and on off. He just picks it and sends it sailing over the mid-wicket fence. A maximum on the very first ball of the over, pressure on the bowler.
#IPLFinal2019 pic.twitter.com/Jah83tbDhj
— IndianPremierLeague (@IPL) May 12, 2019
19.39 IST: SIX! That has been pulled off the front foot. Trademark Rohit Sharma. First maximum of the final. Shardul looks to surprise Sharma by bowling it short. It was a good one but all Rohit does is stand tall and pull it with ease over the square leg fence. MI 10/0 in 1.4 overs vs CSK
19.35 IST: Tidy first over from Chahar, just 2 runs from it. Mumbai 2/0 in 1 over vs Chennai
19.30 IST:
#IPLFinal pic.twitter.com/YyGG9JliiI
— IndianPremierLeague (@IPL) May 12, 2019
19.27 IST: We are all set to begin now! The two umpires make their way out to the middle. MS Dhoni walks out and he is followed by his team. They are now in a huddle. The two Mumbai openers, Rohit Sharma and Quinton de Kock make their way to the middle. The Chennai fielders now head to the fielding positions while Deepak Chahar is seen marking his run-up. He will be bowling to de Kock who will be facing the first ball. Here we go…
19.23 IST:
The #Yellove in show for the big day today, as the CSK… CSK… Rumble begins! #WhistlePodu #IPL2019Final #CSKvMI pic.twitter.com/er9lhb8ido
— Chennai Super Kings (@ChennaiIPL) May 12, 2019
19.15 IST:
Which trophy cabinet will this shine at tonight?#IPLFinal #MIvCSK pic.twitter.com/MIDMfRuxiq
— IndianPremierLeague (@IPL) May 12, 2019
19.10 IST: Chennai Super Kings (Playing XI) – Faf du Plessis, Shane Watson, Suresh Raina, Ambati Rayudu, MS Dhoni (wk/C), Dwayne Bravo, Ravindra Jadeja, Harbhajan Singh, Deepak Chahar, Shardul Thakur, Imran Tahir
Mumbai Indians (Playing XI) – Rohit Sharma (C), Quinton de Kock (wk), Suryakumar Yadav, Ishan Kishan, Krunal Pandya, Hardik Pandya, Kieron Pollard, Rahul Chahar, Mitchell McClenaghan, Jasprit Bumrah, Lasith Malinga
19.07 IST:
The @mipaltan Skipper Rohit Sharma wins the toss and elects to bat first against @ChennaiIPL.#IPLFinal #MIvCSK pic.twitter.com/807XBZROHo
— IndianPremierLeague (@IPL) May 12, 2019
19.02 IST: TOSS – Rohit Sharma wins toss as Mumbai Indians elect to bat first against Chennai Super Kings in Hyderabad.
19.00 IST:
Roar whistles if you can’t wait to watch this super #Thala warm-up routine! #WhistlePodu #Yellove #IPL2019Final #CSKvMI pic.twitter.com/3Cwmfx5Vak
— Chennai Super Kings (@ChennaiIPL) May 12, 2019
18.56 IST: CSK have won 12 out of 16 tosses this IPL
18.51 IST: Pitch Report – “Looks like a great surface for batting. Even covering of grass, so it’ll be a surface where the batsmen can easily hit through the line and play their shots. huge boundaries – 73 meters all around, so it’ll be important to convert the ones into two – in addition to scoring fours and sixes”, reckons VVS Laxman.
18.45 IST: Each of Mumbai Indians’ five final appearances is against a Dhoni side [CSK in 2010, 2013, 2015 and 2019; RPS in 2017].
18.35 IST:
Wishing you a very Happy Birthday @KieronPollard55! Hope you can make this day extra special. You know what I mean. pic.twitter.com/LJezgusau4
— Sachin Tendulkar (@sachin_rt) May 12, 2019
18.30 IST: Mumbai Indians enjoy a 16-11 head-to-head tally against CSK. It’s down to 4-4 in knockouts/playoffs, while MI have a 2-1 advantage in finals.
18.23 IST:
The hero from our last outing at Hyderabad, Alzarri Joseph has got a special message for the boys #OneFamily #Believe #IPL2019Final #CricketMeriJaan #MumbaiIndians #MIvCSK pic.twitter.com/tHN5FEvYrX
— Mumbai Indians (@mipaltan) May 12, 2019
18.15 IST: Hello and a very warm welcome to our live cricket blog of IPL 2019 final between Mumbai Indians and Chennai Super Kings from Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium, Hyderabad.
Brief Preview: Arch-rivals, familiar foes and two most successful teams of the Indian Premier League (IPL) — Mumbai Indians and Chennai Super Kings collide in a mouth-watering final showdown on Sunday to decide the winner of the coveted trophy. The 12th edition of IPL produced several unprecedented moments both on and off the field. If we go by the stats, Mumbai will start as the favourites in the big final versus Chennai after beating the Yellow brigade three times earlier in the tournament including in the Qualifier 1 on Tuesday.
But numbers and statistics count for little going into the title fight as both teams start on an even keel at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium in Hyderabad. Rohit Sharma-led Mumbai can certainly take confidence out of the fact that they have won three out of the four finals they have been part of, including the two against CSK in 2013 and 2015. (READ FULL PREVIEW – IPL FINAL)
SQUADS —
Mumbai Indians (From): Rohit Sharma (C), Quinton de Kock (wk), Suryakumar Yadav, Ishan Kishan, Krunal Pandya, Hardik Pandya, Kieron Pollard, Jayant Yadav, Rahul Chahar, Jasprit Bumrah, Lasith Malinga, Anmolpreet Singh, Ben Cutting, Yuvraj Singh, Mitchell McClenaghan, Mayank Markande, Evin Lewis, Aditya Tare, Siddhesh Lad, Pankaj Jaiswal, Anukul Roy, Barinder Sran, Rasikh Salam, Beuran Hendricks.
Chennai Super Kings (From): Faf du Plessis, Shane Watson, Suresh Raina, Ambati Rayudu, MS Dhoni (wk/C), Dwayne Bravo, Ravindra Jadeja, Harbhajan Singh, Deepak Chahar, Shardul Thakur, Imran Tahir, Murali Vijay, Mitchell Santner, Dhruv Shorey, N Jagadeesan, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Scott Kuggeleijn, Kedar Jadhav, Chaitanya Bishnoi, Karn Sharma, Mohit Sharma, KM Asif, Monu Kumar.
