IPL 08: The Big Final today
View(s):Mumbai Vs Chennai – the finals of the eighth edition of the IPL is here. The starts could not have been more contrasting. A string of early victories had taken Chennai to the top of table. A string of early defeats had left Mumbai at the very bottom. Chennai had got it right, from the onset. McCullum and Dwayne Smith were firing on all cylinders. The aging Ashish Nehra was playing the role of a 25-year old champion bowler at the peak of his game, ably supported by an economical Ravichandran Ashwin. Mumbai, on the other hand, had all sorts of early trouble at the top of the order, crippled by an injured Aaron Finch. The bowling was unable to defend totals, and the powerful Mumbai think-tank seemed to be getting into a highly experimental crisis mode, with seemingly no clear plans.
Things changed. Mumbai got Simmons to open with Parthiv Patel. Good starts became the norm. Lasith Malinga and Harbhajan Singh were getting back to their best. With Mitchell McClenaghan, they became the torrid trio for opposition batsmen. And when Mumbai defeated Hyderabad convincingly last Sunday, they had made it to the second position on the table.That meant they had to play Chennai for a spot in the finals. In that match, the might of Chennai, mitigated by the Mumbai home advantage, was further nullified by a punishing 41 off 17 from Pollard. When Harbhajan removed Raina and Dhoni off consecutive balls, it was all downhill from there. Mumbai sealed their position in the finals with a 25-run victory. Chennai would,however, get another chance, if it could defeat the winner of the match between teams three and four.
Teams three and four were Bangalore and Rajasthan, with Rajasthan having successfully fended off fancied Kolkatta earlier, on the back of a Watson century. In this crucial eliminator, the AB De Villers-powered Bangalore innings ended with 180 runs. Rajasthan lost early wickets and were never recover. They seemed to have left their best game behind, and were bowled out of the match and the tournament in 19 overs.
The fight for the second spot in the finals had now come down to the Southern neighbours. This Chennai-Bangalore game was meant to be a tight one. It did not disappoint. Chennai strangled Bangalore continually on a slow turner at Ranchi, and the dangerous Bangalore line-up was never allowed to blossom. Chennai’s Michael Hussey, playing for McCullum, anchored the innings, while also providing the required impetus at the later stages. Chennai made the 140 needed with one ball to spare, and with that, also making the finals.
Both Chennai and Mumbai have been here before. Both have tasted title victories. Chennai’s record is unmatched — eight tournaments, six finals, two semi-finals. In an unpredictable format, where teams have been strengthened with repeated auctions, where the best coaches, mentors and support staff are aplenty, one man has stood out with his ability to raise the game of his team above the rest – MS Dhoni. By far the most successful IPL captain, and unlikely to be matched for a very long time, the MSD factor could well be the deciding one in the finals between these two IPL giants.
With viewership going beyond the traditional male audience, and the outreach to the female audience further strengthened by woman commentators, all ex-cricketers, such as Anjum Chopra, Isa Guha and Melanie Jones, Sunday will indeed be a big day for the entire family, looking forward to what has now become India’s biggest annual sporting event – The Big IPL Final.