On this day in 2011: Chennai Super Kings become the first team to defend IPL title
Mumbai Indians have the status of being the most successful team in the history of the Indian Premier League. This team has won the title 5 times at most, while the record of winning the most matches in the league is also in the name of this team. Apart from them, the most influential team of the league is Chennai Super Kings (CSK). This team, captained by MS Dhoni, has not only won the title 3 times but also has the best win percentage in the league. The second title of Chennai Super Kings came 10 years ago today i.e on 28th May 2011.
In the league stage, RCB was at the top with 19 points, followed by CSK with 18 points just behind it. In the end, both teams clashed in the finals. The final match took place at Chennai’s home ground MA Chidambaram (Chepauk) Stadium.
Batting first, Chennai set a mammoth target of 205 runs in 20 overs. Openers Mike Hussey and Murali Vijay gave a good start to the team. Both added 159 runs in 14.5 overs for the first wicket. Hussey scored 63 runs, while Vijay, on the other hand, continued his explosive innings. He played a blistering knock of 95 runs in just 52 balls.
In response, RCB started off poorly. Chris Gayle got out in the first over, and most of the RCB batsmen failed. Only the young stars of the team, Virat Kohli (35) and Saurabh Tiwari (42 not out), showed some fight. The entire team could manage only 147 runs for 8 wickets in 20 overs.
With this, Chennai won its second consecutive title. Chennai was the first team to win 2 titles at that time. Later on, Mumbai Indians became the second team to achieve the milestone in 2020. On the other hand, Bangalore faced defeat in the final for the second time. Earlier in 2009, the team lost the final.
CSK had to wait for a long time for their third title. During this time, Mumbai was the most dominant side in the league. Chennai won their third title in 2018 after returning from a 2-year ban. In 2019, the team had to face defeat in the final against Mumbai.
