THE VICTORY OF MUMBAI INDIAN'S OVER CHENNAI SUPER KINGS

Mumbai’s IPL title win was their fourth in history, and by winning the playoffs as league premiers, there was a resounding sense of dominance despite the slim margin of triumph. Words such as ‘invincible’ and ‘unbeatable’ have been circulated, but it ultimately came down to the very basics that make up a solid team that plays to win.

Under coach Mahela Jayawardene, the Indians have honed their all-round skills effectively, but each and every member of the squad has bought into the uncompromising culture of success around the club. That success is built around core figures of reliability, and in 2019, captain Rohit Sharma stood out from any other leader on the pitch. Every one of Mumbai’s title wins have been with a squad in which Sharma has worn the armband, and in ending the 2019 IPL season as one of just ten players to exceed over 4,000 IPL runs in the competition as a whole, he remains as indispensable as ever.

Mumbai’s success was made all the more impressive by how much the team improved after a disappointing 2018, which saw them fail to qualify for the playoffs. It was, however, Quinton de Kock – with his insatiable lust for the high concentration of fours and sixes – that have long been the unique selling point of the IPL brand – that gave Mumbai their superlative fear factor.

If the game is fading in the middle overs, the South African will invariably give any team a chance of putting up anything from a brave stand against defeat to a crushing landslide victory. As a result of De Kock’s impressive work rate, he finished third on the runs leaderboard with 529 and has provided the champions with a blueprint for domination in the batting department for 2020.