Chennai Super Kings had reached the final for the fourth consecutive year and were eyeing their third Indian Premier League title when they faced Mumbai Indians at Eden Gardens, Kolkata.
CSK had beaten Mumbai three years earlier to bag their first IPL title. MS Dhoni’s side knew how to win games. Rohit Sharma took over as full-time captain of Mumbai for the first time, taking over from the legendary Ricky Ponting, and led his side admirably. But CSK, with MS Dhoni and aip power-packed batting lineup, had the edge.
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Rohit had decided to bat first on a wicket that had good assistance for the seamers. West Indian all-rounder Kieron Pollard, around this period, was operating at the peak of his powers. Mumbai sending him too late in the batting order in the 2010 final had become a major talking point. There were no such problems here. Despite the Mumbai batting order failing to making a collective impact, Pollard stood tall, taking his side to a respectable 148 with a typically blazing 32-ball 60.
Mumbai needed early wickets and the men in blue were all over CSK. The deadly new-ball pair of Lasith Malinga and Mitchell Johnson reduced their opponents to 35/4 at the end of the powerplay. But with Dhoni at the crease, CSK always stood a chance.
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But before the World Cup-winning captain could get his eye in, his team was eight-down with just 58 on the board. Spinners Harbhajan Singh and Pragyan Ojha were also chipping away and now CSK were staring at a humiliating defeat. Rohit was smart with the way he used his bowlers, not giving the top-order a sniff.
Of course, there were late heroics from Dhoni but the target was out of reach. Mumbai had reached their promised land, and the momentum in IPL finals had just shifted. Rohit and Co would go on to win two more finals against CSK in the next few years.