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After a sensational victory against the Rajasthan Royals that pushed them into the playoffs, Mumbai Indians were high on confidence taking on their traditional rivals in this short IPL history – Chennai Super Kings. Both teams have huge fan following, and have bigwigs in Sachin Tendulkar and MS Dhoni respectively to draw passionate fans. Many a times these teams have produced great battles for the fans and made us all to witness and experience disappointment, elation and thrill over their closely contested fixtures. But in the end, it will always be heart-break for one side and joy for another. Despite Mumbai beginning the season as the only team to have a positive history against the two-time champions, they ended up with 3 losses to make things even over the course of the tournament. Nevertheless, on an overall perspective they should be happy with their finish after the disastrous start and also they have now confirmed their presence in this year’s champions league. Here we look back at the Eliminator to analyse what went wrong for Rohit Sharma's men.
#1 Not a good finish with the bat
After beginning the innings cautiously against the Super Kings’ new ball bowlers, soon Michael Hussey joined in the on-slaught with Lendl Simmons to rack up 53 runs in the powerplay overs. Despite the former CSK-ian falling inside 10 overs, Corey Anderson took off from where he left. However the New Zealander didn’t last long, making 20 in 10 balls. Simmons and Rohit Sharma batted well but fell in pursuit of quick runs.
The Mumbai lower middle order did not last long, trying to go all guns blazing from first ball. Aditya Tare, the man who got Mumbai over the line in the last match with a first ball six perished in attempting the same after Pollard skied a full-toss.
Ambati Rayudu soon joined them in dug-out and they managed to add just 30 runs in last 20 balls, losing 4 wickets off last 9 deliveries. Mumbai looked good to get close to the 200-mark, but failed due to the late collapse. Against a batting line-up as good and as deep as CSK, it was always going to be a tough ask defending a par score.
#2 Poor Strategy
In the season prior to the last one, Mumbai Indians lost just because of two reasons – lack of good finishes or starts (if one happened, the other didn’t) and bowling the wrong bowler at extremely wrong times.
Last season, Rohit Sharma, as their leader, made sure that the latter did not happen and managed his bowlers well that led them to the trophy.
This year though the devil has returned. In the Eliminator, they planned everything right but not for the combination CSK sent out to the middle. Mumbai had lost a few matches because of their fifth bowler and they might have believed bowling him at the top might be helpful.
When Praveen Kumar was extremely unlucky not to get any wickets with his intimidating swing, Anderson do created pressure but pressure alone was not enough. Pragyan Ojha, once a purple cap holder in previous editions, average more than hundred this season only because of him not being using at correct situations.
When Dwayne Smith was struggling aginst swing, how effective a left-arm spinner would have been at the other end, rather than a left-arm seamer operating from over the wicket. The strategy backfired even more when Ojha came back to complete his spell in the 16th over of the innings in which he was carted for three sixes in an over that reserved the grave for the defending champs.
#3 Predictable Jasprit Bumrah
The 20-year-old Gujarat bowler was a crucial weapon in Mumbai’s armoury. His decent economic spells were far more crucial complimenting the wicket-takers in the middle overs and at death. One can remember the yorkers he hit continuously against Delhi Daredevils.
But the Chennai side seemed to have studied this bowler and his unusual bowling action. His back of a good length bowling became too predictable and was taken to the cleaners in his first over for 4 boundaries.
He never really hit the right length in the whole match despite inducing a couple of edges, that too reaching the ropes. With Ojha having a poor match, Bumrah’s ineffectiveness ended any chance of a fight on that batting deck against the best batsmen.
#4 Opportunities lost
Despite making some tactical errors in the field, Mumbai might have still ended up on the winning side had one of those Praveen Kumar in-swingers clipped the top of the bails or had the umpire Bruce Oxenford concentrated a bit more in the proceedings of a leg-before appeal that was as plumb as it gets.
Even though Ojha would have troubled the surprise opening pair of Smith and Faf fu Plessis (Brendon McCullum was back in the side but batted at No.4), Anderson managed to produce a chance, but the catch was put down when both Rayudu and Harbhajan didn’t call for it after converging on the skier.
From what I’ve seen this season, Harbhajan Singh was at his best – bowling at a slower pace, relying on revolutions on the ball even in this ‘highway’ pitch, he deceived both the set openers. Brendon McCullum who got used to bat in the powerplays couldn’t make the transition at No.4 and got beaten by a turner from Ojha.
That was the time Mumbai should have attacked with a strike bowler which they lacked and Raina and David Hussey had enough experience to rotate the singles and squeeze a boundary in between at other end. It was one way traffic thereafter.
Perhaps the toss was far more crucial in the outcome of this match. Who knows, CSK might have faced the same situation with three Indian medium pacers in the side.
