IPL Rewind – 2010: Chennai Super Kings clinch their maiden title
The final of Indian Premier League’s third season in 2010 boiled down to two heavyweights – Chennai Super Kings and Mumbai Indians – battling it out for glory at the DY Patil stadium. It was MS Dhoni’s Yellow Army who established their dominance by clinching the encounter by 22 runs.
The then MI skipper Tendulkar, the Player of the Tournament, gave his best efforts to deliver and steer his franchise to the win in the final too. The Master Blaster scored 48 and gave his side a good start but regular blows dented MI’s chances to grab their first-ever IPL trophy. CSK, on the other hand, etched their name into history books by lifting their maiden silverware.
The route to the final
2010 was an unforgettable year for CSK as they also clinched Champions League in 2010 with Ravichandran Ashwin making his presence felt on the South African soil.
Talking about CSK’s 2010 IPL title heist, Dhoni and his men didn’t start on a positive note as they lost their opening encounter against defending champions Deccan Chargers. However, CSK kicked off their winning tale by clinching two subsequent matches against Kolkata Knight Riders and Delhi Daredevils respectively.
But it was Mumbai who were the most dominant side in the tournament, registering 10 wins from their 14 matches. The next successful side were Deccan Chargers as they scripted eight wins in the league. Chennai Super Kings were in a tussle with three other franchises to make it to the playoffs. In the end, 4 teams ended with equal points (14), with CSK grabbing the third spot on the basis of superior NRR.
However, it still seemed an uphill task for CSK to lay their hands on the trophy as they had to first defeat DC and then MI to pave their way into the record books. In their semi-final against Chargers, CSK amassed 142 after electing to bat first.
They followed it up by delivering a scintillating bowling performance and DC could only amass 104 runs on the board in response. Doug Bollinger’s four-wicket haul derailed Chargers’ hopes of registering consecutive title victory. But the job wasn’t finished for Dhoni as he still had to endure an arduous task of toppling MI in the finals.
Chennai vs Mumbai – first final amongst heavyweights
Mumbai Indians, cruising into the final by defeating RCB in the playoffs, were the favourites to clinch their maiden title. However, the Yellow Army had other plans. After electing to bat first, CSK registered 168/5 on the back of Suresh Raina’s unbeaten half-century.
MI retaliated with a 66-run second-wicket stand between skipper Tendulkar and Abhishek Nayar. But the twist in the tale was yet to unfold as MI were left reeling at 100/5 in the fifteenth over. Kieron Pollard’s quick-fire 27 runs certainly raised MI hopes but it all ended with Albie Morkel dismissing the all-rounder in the penultimate over.
Curbing MI to 146/9, the yellow wave proliferated in Mumbai as they sealed their first-ever IPL title. More than a title triumph, it stamped the start of CSK’s illustrious IPL fairytale. The MS Dhoni-led side eventually added another two titles in their cabinet.
