Yesterday marks the tenth anniversary of Mumbai Indians’ (MI) maiden IPL title. Rohit Sharma-led side defeated Chennai Super Kings (CSK) by 23 runs in the IPL 2013 final at Eden Gardens in Kolkata on May 26, 2013, to win their first IPL championship.
CSK dominated the IPL 2013 points table after winning 11 of their 14 games during the league round. Mumbai had the same amount of wins as their archrivals but finished second owing to a slightly lower net-run rate.
The team captained by MS Dhoni then defeated them by 48 runs in Qualifier 1 to proceed to the finals. Mumbai indians advanced to the finals after a hard-fought win over Rajasthan Royals (RR) in Qualifier 2.
In the final, MI batted first and finished at 148/9 in 20 overs. Their top order fell under strain, as they were reduced to 16/3 in 2.2 overs. After a tumultuous start, Dinesh Karthik (21) and Ambati Rayudu (37) batted steadily to stabilise the batting. However, neither player was able to convert their starts.
Kieron Pollard (60 off 32 balls) batted brilliantly in a crucial scenario to help Mumbai to a reasonable total. CSK’s Dwayne Bravo took four wickets, while Albie Morkel took two in the powerplay.
After dismissing Michael Hussey and Suresh Raina in the opening over, Lasith Malinga gave MI a flying start. CSK was never able to recover after losing their two top batters in the first over.
Mumbai bowlers were simply too hot to handle on the day, reducing CSK to 39/6 in 7.3 overs. MS Dhoni (63* off 45 balls) batted until the last ball but could not lead Chennai Super Kings to victory as they finished with a score of 125/9.
The highlights of the game may be seen in the video below:
MI faced GT in Qualifier 2 of IPL 2023 but were unable to win
The Mumbai Indians placed fourth after group stages and headed to the playoffs this season after coming last in 2022. On Wednesday, they easily overcame the Lucknow Super Giants in the Eliminator but unfortunately failed to make it to the final as GT won the match by 62 runs.
