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Despite defending what many thought to be a below-par total, Mumbai Indians bowled their hearts out and fielded well to keep the pressure on RCB. Though RCB got off to a good start – with Tillakaratne Dilshan (27) and Chris Gayle (5) adding 38 in four overs, Mumbai Indians pulled things back once they got their first breakthrough in the form of Dilshan’s wicket.

Gayle, who has been outstanding in the tournament, was unlucky as he was given out LBW to a ball that seemed headed past the off stump.

Virat Kohli, who played blinders in his previous two innings, too failed. With the big boys back in the dressing room, and the young middle order finding it too hard to score runs off the Mumbai Indians spin duo, the 22-year-old had to take his chances. Unfortunately for him, it didn’t come off today. He attempted to hit Harbhajan Singh over mid-wicket, but holed out to Aiden Blizzard patrolling the fence. The rest of the RCB middle-order couldn’t quite get its act together and RCB were eventually bowled out for 108 in 19.2 overs.

Mumbai Indians’ skipper Harbhajan Singh led from the front as he picked up three wickets for 20 in his four overs. He received good support from Yuzvendra Chahal (2/9), Abu Nechim (2/26) and Kieron Pollard (1/21).

Earlier in the evening, Mumbai Indians won the toss and opted to bat first. On a pitch where playing shots was difficult, five Mumbai Indians batsmen got off to starts, but none converted it to a big score.

Ambati Rayudu flattered to deceive with a 21-ball 22, Suryakumar Yadav made 24 off 17 balls, while opener Sarul Kanwar made 13. James Franklin was the only MI batsman to post some kind of a respectable score with 41.

Given the conditions, and the fact that Mumbai Indians had slipped to 65/3 by the halfway mark and didn’t have much momentum in their innings, it was a little surprising that the big-hitting Pollard did not walk in before Yadav. The Trinidadian, who is capable of destructing bowling attacks, walked in to bat in the 14th over and lasted only five deliveries. He attempted to hit Vettori over long off, but was beaten by the slow turn and holed out to Kohli at the boundary.

Malinga used the long handle to good effect in the final overs as he hit two sixes in his 11-ball 16 and added 26 with Rajagopal Sathish. But once Raju Bhatkal had dismissed both batsmen off consecutive deliveries, Mumbai Indians were in danger of getting bowled out without utilising their 20 overs. However, the last pair of Abu Nechim and Chahal ensured their team used up all their 20 overs.

With MI staring down the barrel at 109 for 7, RCB captain Daniel Vettori smartly bowled out his key bowlers by the end of the 17th over. Dirk Nannes – despite suffering a stomach upset – bowled his best spell in the competition today and finished with figures of 1 for 14, while Vettori’s four overs cost 30 runs apart from fetching his team two important wickets. Bhatkal’s three overs cost his team 21 runs, but he picked up three crucial wickets.

The Mumbai Indians, making their second appearance in the CLT20, and perhaps the least formidable of the teams at the start – given that they had lost several of their key players to injuries – take home the winners purse of $2,500,000. Royal Challengers Bangalore, making their third appearance in the Champions League Twenty20, have to be content with being runners-up and a purse of $1,300,000.

Brief score: Mumbai Indians 139 in 20 overs (James Franklin 41, Suryakumar Yadav 24, Raajoo Bhatkal 3/21) beat Royal Challengers Bangalore 108 in 19.2 overs (Tillakaratne Dilshan 27, Saurabh Tiwary 17, Harbhajan Singh 3/20, Yuzvendra Chahal 2/9)

Man-of-the-Match: Harbhajan Singh, for his three wickets – which included those of Chris Gayle and Virat Kohli.

Winner of Golden Bat: David Warner of New South Wales Blues, for scoring 328 runs in the Nokia CLT20 2011.

Winner of Golden Wicket: Lasith Malinga, for taking 10 wickets in the Nokia CLT20 2011.

Man-of-the-Series: Lasith Malinga for bowling the way he did and playing some good knocks with the bat too.

Mumbai Indians crowned new T20 Champions League champions

By SPORTSMAIL REPORTER

Last updated at 8:56 PM on 9th October 2011

 

The Mumbai Indians secured the Champions League Twenty20 title this evening with a 31-run victory over the Bangalore Royal Challengers in an entertaining final in Chennai.

James Franklin, with 41 off 29 balls, top-scored for the Indians as they posted a seemingly below-par total of 139 all out from their 20 overs, Raju Bhatkal claiming three for 21 from three overs.

Tillakaratne Dilshan made a quickfire 27 in response but Bangalore danger man Chris Gayle failed to get out of first gear and the early dismissals of the pair were signs of things to come for the Royal Challengers, who stuttered to 108 all out from 19.2 overs.

Harbhajan Singh took three for 20 for Mumbai, while Yuzvendra Chahal finished with figures of two for nine and Lasith Malinga two for 23.

The Indians made a sloppy start after opting to bat first, Aiden Blizzard run out for three in the second over. He smashed a full delivery through Dirk Nannes and set off, but Sarul Kanwar did not move and both openers found themselves at the non-striker’s end as wicketkeeper Arun Karthik whipped off the bails.

Nannes accounted for Kanwar for 13 soon after, beating the batsman for pace and dislodging two stumps.

Ambati Rayudu made 22 from 21 balls before being dismissed by Bhatkal, Chris Gayle taking a fine catch at extra cover.

Suryakumar Yadav and Franklin steered Mumbai past 100 before the 21-year-old Indian was run out backing up by Daniel Vettori for 24.

Franklin moved on to 41 – thanks in part to huge sixes off Sreenath Aravind and Daniel Vettori – before he too was run out, the New Zealander attempting a second run after Kieron Pollard had flicked wide of mid-wicket.

Pollard and Harbhajan followed soon after in a productive 16th over for Bangalore, bowled by Vettori. The former was caught at long on by Virat Kohli for two, and the latter dismissed leg before wicket playing across the line without troubling the scorers.

Sri Lanka paceman Malinga, batting at nine, plundered two sixes in his 11-ball innings to help boost Mumbai’s total but departed in the 19th over for 16, straight after Rajagopal Sathish (nine) had been caught at long on. Chahal fell for two to the last ball of the innings.

Bangalore made a steady enough start to their reply, with Dilshan roaring to 27 before Malinga uprooted his Sri Lanka captain’s off stump in the fifth over.

Gayle contributed just five before he too was sent packing in the following over. He became Harbhajan’s first victim when he was trapped lbw for five by the India spinner.

The wickets continued to tumble at regular intervals as Bangalore failed to build any real momentum.

Mayank Agarwal (14) lofted a Chahal delivery to long off, where Pollard took the catch at the third attempt, and Harbhajan accounted for Kohli in the following over when he had his countryman caught by Blizzard at deep mid-wicket for 11.

Karthik was caught at long off by Pollard off the bowling of Chahal for nought, Kaif snapped up at cover by Kanwar off Pollard for three and Vettori (one) stumped going down the track by Rayudu for seven to leave Bangalore 92 for seven in the 17th over.

Saurabh Tiwary’s dismissal for 17 in the following over put paid to any hopes the Royal Challengers harboured of mounting an unlikely comeback. He was caught at extra cover by Harbhajan off Abu Nechim Ahmed.

Aravind (four) and Bhatkal (six) hung around for a few balls but the writing was on the wall and Mumbai’s victory was sealed when the latter holed out to Sathish at long on.

Franklin had feared Mumbai had not done enough with the bat, but was thrilled with how his team restricted Bangalore to 108.

He told Eurosport: ‘I thought we were about 20 runs light. We lost some critical wickets during back end of our innings

‘We knew we had to scrap for every run out there.

‘Credit where credit’s due – the bowlers did a fantastic job, we fielded our socks off and we’ve won. It’s a great feeling.

‘It’s been well documented there are senior players out with injury so it’s given the young guys a crack at it and they’ve really stood up. We’re champions now – it’s a great feeling.’

Bangalore captain Vettori was proud of his team’s efforts but accepted the contributions of Franklin and Harbhajan had proved crucial.

‘Making a final, we’re always proud of that,’ he said. ‘I suppose making the Indian Premier League final, we wanted to go one step further this time around, but it wasn’t to be and Mumbai played exceptionally well.