On May 12, 2019, Mumbai Indians defeated Chennai Super Kings in the final of the 12th edition of the Indian Premier League to become the most successful team in the history of the T20 tournament.
The clash between the two heavyweight teams in Hyderabad saw a nail-biting finish with veteran Lasith Malinga stealing the show thanks to a stunning last over.
Also read: Match report – IPL 2019 final
Mumbai Indians won the toss and batted first in the match. The Rohit Sharma-led side could manage just 149/8 in their 20 overs. Kieron Pollard was the biggest contributor with the bat for them as he blasted an unbeaten 41 of 25 at the end.
Mahendra Singh Dhoni’s men, having won the trophy in 2018, were looking set to add another title to their tally at the end of 18 overs in their chase. Shane Watson had hit a hat-trick of sixes in the previous over and was batting on 75 off 55. The Australian opener had the experienced Dwayne Bravo at the other end and Chennai needed 18 to win off 12 at that time with six wickets in hand.
Also read: Live blog – IPL 2019 final
However, Mumbai had one over each of Jasprit Bumrah and Malinga left. And the right-arm pacers didn’t disappoint.
First, Bumrah bowled a superb 19th over by giving away just nine runs and taking the important wicket of Bravo. The over could have looked a lot better had wicketkeeper Quinton de Kock not conceded four byes off the last delivery,
Also read: Key stats – IPL 2019 final
Then, it was the turn of Malinga to step up to the plate. The Sri Lankan legend was under tremendous pressure heading into the over. He had conceded for 42 runs from his three overs at that point, including 20 in his previous over. But skipper Sharma knew that Malinga was the man for the job, and he wasn’t wrong.
Malinga went on to bowl an unforgettable over, giving away seven runs in the over to hand Mumbai a one-run victory. It was a sensational finish that saw Malinga dismiss Shardul Thakur off the last ball with an unforgettable slower-ball. It was a heartbreaking defeat for Watson as he was run-out in the final over for a brilliant 59-ball 80.
Also read – In a league of his own: With four IPL titles, is it time for Rohit Sharma to be India’s T20 captain?
“I was thinking of Hardik [Pandya] for the final over, but I wanted to back someone who has been in that situation for us before, and Malinga has been there many times,” Sharma had said after the match.
Here are highlights of the 2019 IPL final:
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