IPL Rewind – 2013: Mumbai Indians finally come to the party
2013 was an iconic year for the star-studded Mumbai Indians! It all started with the Rohit Sharma-led side defeating two-time IPL champions Chennai Super Kings in the final. There was no looking back for the Mumbai franchise as they eventually conquered the pinnacle. They are currently sitting at the top of the pile with four IPL titles in their vitrine.
The triumph saga and roots of their dominance were laid in 2013 when veteran Sachin Tendulkar donned the MI jersey for one last time. After Ricky Ponting led the team in the initial stages, young Rohit replaced the Aussie stalwart and led the blues to their maiden IPL title. The party continued as they also emerged victorious in the Champions League T20 that year.
The late bloomers
Mumbai looked inconsistent both with the bat and ball in the early phase, finding themselves in the middle of the points table. Riding on the batting performances from Dwayne Smith, Rohit Sharma and Kieron Pollard, they eventually finished in second place of the league stage, tied with Chennai Super Kings on 22 points. Their bowling armoury, led by Harbhajan Singh, Mitchell Johnson and Lasith Malinga, had also played a pivotal role in their winning trail.
Rohit finished the season with 538 runs, sixth-highest in the league, while Harbhajan scalped 22 wickets and clinched the third position in the list of highest wicket-takers.
However, their campaign suffered a setback when CSK got the better of them in the first qualifier. Rohit and his men had to endure a tougher way to carve their way into the final. They retaliated by thrashing Rajasthan Royals in the second qualifier and booked a berth in the summit clash with the Yellow Army.
Eden Gardens was roaring with joy as Dwayne Smith and Aditya Tare opened the Mumbai innings. It was a disappointing start as they lost the first three wickets for just 16 runs. However, the Caribbean giant, Kieron Pollard struck a gritty 60 to guide his side to 148/9.
Bowlers roar
It was the Mumbai Indians bowling force that came on top that day, reducing Chennai to 39/6. Skipper Dhoni did offer some resistance with an unbeaten 63 but CSK eventually succumbed as they registered 125/9, handing Mumbai their first-ever IPL trophy. The Malinga-Johnson duo wreaked havoc, decimating their top order in the Powerplay itself.
With the defeat, Chennai became the first IPL team to lose two successive finals. Mumbai, on the other hand, marked their fiesty arrival in the list of prize winners. Mumbai later went on to add three more titles under their belt, defeating Chennai yet again in the final of 2019 IPL. A shaky start, captaincy change and uncertainty didn’t stop Mumbai from kick-starting their folk tale.
