Highlights IPL final 2017, MI vs RPS match result in Hyderabad: Mumbai win the title by 1 run

Well done Krunal Pandya. You may be sort of a late bloomer, but right in time for @mipaltan to win title!

— Cricketwallah (@cricketwallah) May 21, 2017

Most finals won in T20 cricket:

8 – Sialkot Stallions 

5 – MUMBAI INDIANS* 

“WHAT THE HELL JUST HAPPENED?”

This was my reaction after Christian managed to get just two runs while needing four off the last ball. To be honest, I wasn’t the only one with such an expression written all over my face. The crowd was predominantly supporting Pune, and quite a few of them still are shell shocked even as I type this. 

It was meant to be an epic showdown between the two top dogs of the tournament, and that is exactly what the fans got — a contest worth every cent. Smith and Dhoni adopted the right approach of saving wickets for the end, but did not get the intermittent boundaries that often, which eventually built the pressure. It took some outstanding bowling by the pace trio of Johnson, Bumrah and Malinga to clinch it for them in the end. 

Mumbai are now the most successful side in the history of the league, with three title wins. 

Points table position-wise winners in IPL:

1st – 2008, 2017*

2nd –  2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015

3rd – 2010, 2016

4th – 2009

Part of most IPL final wins: Rohit Sharma (4) 

Most wins in IPL final as a captain: Rohit Sharma (3)

Most IPL titles for a team:

3 – MUMBAI INDIANS*

2 – CSK, KKR 

1 – RR, DC, SRH

Most IPL titles for a captain:

3 – ROHIT SHARMA*

2 – MS Dhoni, Gautam Gambhir 

Indians part of most T20 finals wins:

7 – ROHIT SHARMA*

6 – MS DHONI, Suresh Raina, Ravichandran Ashwin

Mumbai Indians become the second team to win an IPL title after finishing first in the points table in that year’s IPL. RR did the same in 2008. 

Karn Sharma: I didn’t perform well last year but the team backed me well and I performed so I am happy.

Lendl Simmons: The runs were on the board, there was scoreboard pressure and that is what helped us.

Smith must have felt gutted when Rayudu held that — he really hit it sweet as anything, and there was acres of room on the off side, with all fielders in the ring except one.

Washington Sundar the new man. Johnson gets the yorker perfectly, outside off, Sundar can’t put bat to it but Christian runs with the ball, and they sneak the single. Parthiv should have seen that coming.

Six now to get, two balls left. Christian on strike, and amazingly, he is yet to face a single ball, now he has two to face and has to get six runs off them.

Johnson around the wicket and on middle, Christian flicks, in the air, Hardik races in from the deep, dives headlong, gets both hands to the ball and spills it, and they run two. Very tough catch, but Hardik is among the ebst fielders in the league and has taken many far more difficult ones.

Four now needed off the last ball of the match. Johnson around the wicket, and Christian swings, out on the on side, they take two, they take on the throw for the third but can’t make it as the throw comes in and Parthiv takes the bails off, and Mumbai win by a single run off the last ball of the match.

Amazing result for MI, who looked done and dusted not merely at the halfway stage, but even after the first ten overs of the chase. Having batted as if suffering from a collective attack of nerves, MI got it all back together in the final quarter of the game, bowled, fielded for all they were worth, and ended up deserving their third title.

Smith, and Dhoni, and indeed all the RPS boys, must be feeling gutted — they beat MI thrice in this IPL, what a time to get pipped at the post, chasing a modest ask.

Most IPL titles for a team:

3 – MUMBAI INDIANS*

2 – CSK, KKR 

1 – RR, DC, SRH

Most IPL titles for a captain:

3 – ROHIT SHARMA*

2 – MS Dhoni, Gautam Gambhir 

Indians part of most T20 finals wins:

7 – ROHIT SHARMA*

6 – MS DHONI, Suresh Raina, Ravichandran Ashwin

Mumbai Indians become the second team to win an IPL title after finishing first in the points table in that year’s IPL. RR did the same in 2008. 

Mitchell Johnson to bowl the final over, defending 10 runs. Tiwary on strike. Over the wicket, angling in just back of length, Tiwary goes down on his knee and pulls it off his chest, four behind square, what a heck of a shot under immense pressure, that from Tiwary. 

Ball two, and Tiwary backs away, lofts, but doesn’t get hold of that properly, it was bouncing on him and all the batsman can do is hit it straight to Pollard on the boundary at long on. Got a bit cramped there, Tiwary. 7 now off four needed.

Dan Christian the new man, but it is Smith on strike to ball three from Johnson as the batsmen crossed while that hit was in the air.

Every time the camera pans to the crowd, it is to pick out someone praying as if their life depends on it. Johnson now around the wicket to Smith and WICKET!!!!

That was fullish in length, Smith got under it and lofted the drive, and clinically picked out the only filelder in the deep on the off side, Ambati Rayudu gets the ball coming to him, swinging through the air, at top pace — that really was hit beautifully — and somehow hangs on to it for dear life. Two in two to Mitch Johnson, more to the point, two dot balls as well, now it is 7 in 3

Most catches in an IPL season:

19 – AB de Villiers,2016

15 – KIERON POLLARD,2017*

14 – David Miller,2014

14 – Dwayne Bravo,2013

After 19 overs,Rising Pune Supergiant 119/3 ( Steven Smith (C) 51 , Manoj Tiwary 3)

The ask at the start was just 6.5. Somewhere, RPS eased off the pedal, and is now facing an ask of 11.5 on a big ground where mishits won’t get you the sixes you could get on some of the smaller venues.

Bumrah to Smith. This game is slowed right down, MI taking time between balls, lots of field settings, lots of talk, making the RPS batsmen wait.

Bumrah starts with a full toss. Surprises Smith, who swings it but doesn’t really get body into the shot. In the air, but it falls of Hardik Pandya out in the deep, just one though for what could have been costly.

Slower ball on good length outside off, Tiwary manages to get bat to it, single to cover.

Ball three, yorker, beautifully bowled, and again great fielding keeps Smith down to a single as he digs it out from middle stump.

Ball four, Full into Tiwary’s pads, they scramble a leg bye. Bumrah is brilliant here, impossible to hit. Ball five, outside off, and that is the shot Smith was looking for. The ball is outside off so Smith has some room, winds up and has a huge swing, gets under the ball and lofts it into the stands over long off, six.

Last ball, full toss and Smith swings it around, two for it. Smith upset, thinks that ball was above his waist and should have been called. I thought it was just a fraction below the waist, though. Nigel Long thinks so too, doesn’t call it. 11 now needed in six.

After 18 overs,Rising Pune Supergiant 107/3 ( Steven Smith (C) 41 , Manoj Tiwary 2)

30 off 18 needed after that Bumrah over. JB still has an over to go and it is hard to see anyone taking him to the cleaners, so RPS needs runs in overs 18 and 20.

It is Malinga with his final over. Smith on strike. Wide of off, yorker length, Smith was backing away, ends up too far from the ball, can only toe end it to cover, no run. Dot balls gold now.

Ball two, Smith this time walks over to off stump, it is predictably yorker length, Smith hits it on the full off the bottom of the bat, to long on, single. 

Ball three, Tiwary on strike, and the swinging yorker on off, driven to mid off, single. Now it is MI with the momentum in the field, everyone seems up, fielders bustling around, attacking the ball every chance, and two quick bowlers sending down yorker after yorker.

Ball four, yorker again, and there is nothing Smith can do with that — whistles in to him and hits the inside of his front leg, outside leg so no LBW but again, the ball slides an inch past that leg stump, that’s the second time the ball has missed the stumps and no one knows how.

Ball five, crowd in a constant ferment now, and again the yorker but what a shot — Smith across his stumps, flicks it, taking it deep inside the crease and flicking on the half volley, four through square leg.

Ball six, slower ball and Smith plays it out on the on, square, and gets one. 24 more needed, 12 balls to go, and Bumrah will bowl the 19th.