IPL Final 2015: Mumbai vs. Chennai Score, Result and Reaction

Mumbai Indians (202/5) beat Chennai Super Kings (161/8) by 41 runs

Mumbai Indians were crowned Indian Premier League champions for the second time in three seasons, as they thrashed Chennai Super Kings by 41 runs at Eden Gardens.

A superb batting display from Mumbai left Chennai with too much work to do in this one, as knocks of 68 from Lendl Simmons and a 26-ball 50 from skipper Rohit Sharma pushed the Indians to a first-innings total of 202 for five.

Gallo Images/Getty Images

Although the Super Kings possess a stellar batting lineup, it was a total that always looked out of reach. Some canny Mumbai bowling strangled the scoring rate early on, and despite a determined 57 from Dwayne Smith, Chennai crumbled to 161 for eight.

BATSMEN		RUNS	BALLS	SR	4S	6S
BOWLER	O	R	W	ECON	DOTS
Lendl Simmons	c MS Dhoni b Dwayne Smith	68	45	151.11	8	3
Parthiv Patel	run out (Francois du Plessis)	0	3	0.00	0	0
Rohit Sharma	c Ravindra Jadeja b Dwayne Bravo	50	26	192.30	6	2
Kieron Pollard	c Suresh Raina b Mohit Sharma	36	18	200.00	2	3
Ambati Rayudu	NOT OUT	36	24	150.00	0	3
Hardik Pandya	c Suresh Raina b Dwayne Bravo	0	2	0.00	0	0
Harbhajan Singh	NOT OUT	6	3	200.00	0	1
EXTRAS	(nb 1, b 1, lb 4)	6
TOTAL	(5 wickets; 20 overs)	202
Ashish Nehra	4	41	0	10.25	10
Mohit Sharma	4	38	1	9.50	9
Ravichandran Ashwin	2	21	0	10.50	6
Ravindra Jadeja	2	26	0	13.00	3
Pawan Negi	2	18	0	9.00	2
Dwayne Bravo	4	36	2	9.00	8
Dwayne Smith	2	17	1	8.50	4

The Super Kings chose to field after winning the toss, and MS Dhoni’s decision looked vindicated after an early breakthrough. Parthiv Patel was run out off just the fifth ball of the match, giving Chennai an early fillip of momentum.

However, the subsequent 119-run partnership between Simmons and Sharma took the match away from the Super Kings. The West Indies man was more reserved in his play initially, while the skipper had a license to tee off.

Quinn Rooney/Getty Images

As cricket commentator Harsha Bhogle noted, Sharma counterattacked with a swagger after the worst possible start to the Mumbai innings:

When he departed in the 12th over for 50, Mumbai were brilliantly set on 120 for two, but Simmons played a critical role too. The Caribbean star bludgeoned 68 from just 45 balls, including eight fours and a trio of sixes.

Hagen Hopkins/Getty Images

It was the kind of innings that has become increasingly commonplace for Simmons, as noted by Freddie Wilde of ESPN Cricinfo:

Although Simmons’ departure just a ball after Sharma’s gave Chennai some hope, a couple of more brilliant cameos kept the Indians on the front foot. Kieron Pollard was at his destructive best in an 18-ball 36, while Ambati Rayudu notched an unbeaten 36 from 24 balls.

As noted by Broken Cricket, Pollard is a man who seems to relish the big moments:

His late flourish helped Mumbai post an imposing total of 202 for five from their 20 overs, and although Chennai boast a batting lineup containing some of the world’s most dynamic players, chasing it down in an IPL final would have represented an astounding achievement.

BATSMEN		RUNS	BALLS	SR	4S	6S
BOWLER	O	R	W	ECON	DOTS
Dwayne Smith	lbw Harbhajan Singh	57	48	118.75	9	1
Michael Hussey	c Jagadeesha Suchith b Mitchell McClenaghan	4	9	44.44	1	0
Suresh Raina	st Parthiv Patel b Harbhajan Singh	28	19	147.36	3	1
MS Dhoni	b Lasith Malinga	18	13	138.46	1	1
Dwayne Bravo	c Lendl Simmons b Mitchell McClenaghan	9	6	150.00	0	1
Pawan Negi	c Hardik Pandya b Lasith Malinga	3	5	60.00	0	0
Francois du Plessis	c Rohit Sharma b Vinay Kumar	1	3	33.33	0	0
Ravindra Jadeja	NOT OUT	11	8	137.50	1	0
Ravichandran Ashwin	c Jagadeesha Suchith b Mitchell McClenaghan	2	4	50.00	0	0
Mohit Sharma	NOT OUT	21	7	300.00	1	2
EXTRAS	(nb 2, w 3, lb 2)	7
TOTAL	(8 wickets; 20 overs)	161
Lasith Malinga	4	25	2	6.25	11
Mitchell McClenaghan	4	25	3	6.25	15
Vinay Kumar	4	39	1	9.75	10
Hardik Pandya	4	36	0	9.00	9
Harbhajan Singh	4	34	2	8.50	7

They really struggled for impetus in the opening exchanges. Although Mumbai weren’t prolific in their wicket-taking, economical bowling from Lasith Malinga kept the scoring under wraps, and when chasing a target of 203 from just 120 balls, it doesn’t take long for the rate to accelerate to stratospheric levels when the runs dry up.

Rajanish Kakade/Associated Press

With a successful run chase looking unlikely at the 10-over mark, with the Super Kings on a meagre 67 for one, former India player Aakash Chopra was lamenting Dhoni’s decision to bowl first:

Things really took a turn for the worse when Smith—who played well for his 57—was pinned in front by Harbhajan Singh. The veteran spinner then had Suresh Raina stumped for 28, and in the next over the dangerous Dwayne Bravo holed out for just nine off the bowling of Mitchell McClenaghan. 

Gurinder Osan/Associated Press

At 108 for four in the 15th over and a required rate of circa 18 runs an over, it was a massive ask for Chennai; Malinga bowling Dhoni for 18 was the final nail in the Super Kings' coffin. Chennai unravelled from that point, stuttering to 161 for eight and giving Mumbai a comfortable 41-run win in the tournament finale.

As Wilde noted, it was a marvelous showing from the new champions:

This squad of Mumbai players have gelled superbly in the weeks leading up to the final, and the luxury of having some extra rest ahead of this match certainly showed in a sharp display. Having players like Sachin Tendulkar and Ricky Ponting as part of the coaching staff will have surely contributed to the Indians' noticeable big match temperament too.

By comparison, Chennai looked a little fatigued in all facets of their game. Losing Brendon McCullum late in the tournament represented a major blow to their chances, and although this is a group used to winning this competition, the Super Kings supporters can be proud of the overall effort their men put in throughout the tournament.