Lendl Simmons Caps Strong IPL with Match-Winning Knock for Mumbai Indians

In the final of the Indian Premier League, the Mumbai Indians were under a great deal of pressure early on as they batted first against the Chennai Super Kings.

Opening batsman Parthiv Patel was run out for a duck by a superb piece of fielding from Faf du Plessis at mid-on having faced just three balls.

It meant Mumbai had scored just one run and lost one wicket, and they made a poor start to their attempt to win this year’s IPL title.

However, they went on to tally 202 from their 20 overs, a tribute to the efforts of their batsmen, led by opener Lendl Simmons, who made 68 from just 45 balls.

It was a continuation of some strong recent form for the 30-year-old West Indian, who has flourished in an opening role for Mumbai and scored more than 500 runs this year.

He hit a particularly purple patch of form recently, as in the month of May he has failed to hit 30 runs or more in an innings only twice.

Included in those strong innings were four other half-centuries outside his effort in the final, the highlight of which was 71 against Kings XI Punjab.

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Simmons also set strong platforms for his team even if he did not go on to make a big personal score, as he passed 30 on three other occasions before being dismissed.

His innings in the final was indicative of what the West Indian has done all tournament, which is to start aggressively and throw bowlers off their rhythms quickly.

Alongside captain Rohit Sharma, Simmons lashed eight fours and three sixes as they took their side past 100 in 11.1 overs.

They punished some wayward Super Kings bowling and saw a threatening attack that included Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja, among others.

Both were dismissed with the score on 120, and it would have been so easy for Mumbai’s batsmen to lose confidence with their two leading run-scorers back in the pavilion.

However, Ambati Rayudu and Kieron Pollard had clearly taken note of their teammates’ batting and went on to pick up the baton to edge Mumbai closer to 200.

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Simmons helped build another crucial platform for his side in the final when they needed him most, and he showed once again how vital he has been.

It is thanks in large part to his consistency with the bat that Mumbai have won their second IPL title and turned around a season that started disastrously.

Without him, they would surely have really struggled.