IPL 2020 Final: Mumbai Indians crush Delhi Capitals, seal record fifth title

Mumbai Indians always had the habit of winning the IPL title on an 'odd' year. However, in 2020 when everything was so different, Mumbai Indians finally snapped their sequence in grand style. Trent Boult's magnificent opening spell, combined with Rohit Sharma's brilliant fifty in his 200th outing in the IPL, confirmed Mumbai Indians' status as the best side in the IPL as they crushed the aspirations of the Delhi Capitals with a five-wicket win to win the IPL title for an unprecedented fifth time at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium on Tuesday. This was Mumbai Indians' fourth consecutive win against Delhi Capitals and Rohit Sharma's side has now matched Chennai Supe Kings as the only other team to defend their title, having won it in 2019. MS Dhoni's side had won the IPL title twice in 2010 and 2011.

It was an IPL 2020 final that started off with Mumbai Indians dominating the opening spell followed by a wonderful comeback from Delhi Capitals thanks to Shreyas Iyer and Rishabh Pant. However, the depth and class of Mumbai Indians' bowling as well as batting proved to be too strong and they fittingly won the match to become the first team ever to achieve five IPL titles and establish a big gap with the remaining teams. Delhi Capitals chose to bat on a pitch that was described 'confusing' by Rohit Sharma. The confusion soon cleared and there was grand success ahead for the Mumbai Indians.

Trent Boult struck gold with his first ball as he removed the in-form Marcus Stoinis with a short ball that climbed up and the batsman could only fend at it for a golden duck. This was the eighth time that Trent Boult had gotten a wicket in the first over of the match in IPL 2020. Ajinkya Rahane was strangled down the leg side as Boult got more swing while Shikhar Dhawan, the one player who might have made a difference, fell to Jayant Yadav as he missed the sweep. Rohit Sharma had made one change in the side with Jayant Yadav replacing Rahul Chahar due to the presence of many left-handers in Delhi Capitals' batting line-up. Shreyas Iyer eased the nerves with a couple of boundaries off Trent Boult while Rishabh Pant looked in fine touch.

Both batsmen were striking the ball beautifully, with Pant hammering two big sixes off Krunal Pandya. Iyer also kept the scoreboard ticking and when he hit two fours off Nathan Coulter-Nile, Rishabh Pant had become the second-youngest half-centurion in an IPL final after Manan Vohra. However, in the quest for quick runs, the 96-run stand ended and Delhi Capitals lost some crucial momentum. Iyer hit his third fifty and went past 500 runs but Mumbai Indians managed to restrict Delhi Capitals to 156/7.

Great start by Mumbai Indians

Quinton de Kock was in fine form along with Rohit Sharma, who was playing his 200th IPL match, making him the second player after MS Dhoni to enter this club. Quinton de Kock blasted a six and two fours but Marcus Stoinis' roller-coaster IPL continued as he dismissed De Kock with his first ball. Mumbai Indians scored 61 in the powerplay with Suryakumar Yadav run-out. However, a horrible misunderstanding saw Suryakumar yadav sacrifice his wicket for Rohit Sharma and he walked off without any anger or frustration. Suryakumar Yadav's poise won him plenty of plaudits on social media.

Rohit went past 3000 runs as skipper and he notched up his 39th fifty. Towards the end, Mumbai Indians lost a few wickets but Ishan Kishan, who became the first uncapped player to go past 500 runs in an IPL season, ensured that there would be no further hiccups and the game was won comfortably to set off delirious scenes in the Mumbai Indians camp. For Delhi Capitals, it was a lost opportunity as their batting could not put up much of a fight against the juggernaut of the Mumbai Indians. However, Shreyas Iyer and his side can be proud that they finally broke the jinx and reached a final. 

The way the tournament was conducted amidst the coronavirus pandemic and the bio-bubble deserves a big round of appreciation for the BCCI and the IPL Governing Council. One hopes that in IPL 2021, the old normal returns and the tournament can be played in front of packed stadiums in India in front of thousands of fans.