Mumbai Indians is one of those Indian Premier League (IPL) franchises that share a massive fanbase not only in India but across other countries as well. From Master Blaster Sachin Tendulkar to fast-bowling maestro Lasith Malinga, several legends of the game have graced the team over the years. With five titles to their name, Mumbai Indians are currently the joint most successful team in the IPL, along with Chennai Super Kings.
Not only on home soil, but the Paltans could also show their dominance in the global circuit, featuring in the Champions League T20. MI is the only team to win the international franchise competition two times. Their second CLT20 title came ten years back on this day (October 6).
The Rohit Sharma-led side got the better of fellow IPL side Rajasthan Royals in a high-scoring final to take the trophy home. MI went into the CLT20 on the back of their maiden IPL triumph. They edged past the already two-time champions CSK in the title clash.
Thanks to the win, Mumbai was handed a direct entry into the main event of the CLT20. Meanwhile, Rajasthan also did not feature in the qualifying campaign as they finished third in the IPL.
Both teams went head-to-head in the tournament opener where RR claimed a comfortable 7-wicket victory. Winning all of their group-league fixtures, RR finished at the top of Group A, with MI following them in the standings.
MI secured their place in the final after overcoming West Indies’ Trinidad & Tobago in the semi-finals, while RR punched their ticket after beating CSK by 4 wickets.
Despite losing the toss, MI pulled off a roaring start to the CLT20 final, which was hosted at Delhi’s Arun Jaitley Stadium (then known as Feroz Shah Kotla). They lost the wicket of Sachin Tendulkar early.
But the other opener, Dwayne Smith looked set at the crease and went hard on the opposition bowlers. Smith smashed 44 runs off 29 deliveries before Pravin Tambe sent him back.
The middle-order batters including captain Rohit Sharma made crucial contributions to the scoresheet. In the end, powered by some blistering cameos from Glenn Maxwell, Dinesh Karthik and Harbhajan Singh, MI posted a mammoth 202 runs on the board, losing 6 wickets in 20 overs.
RR could not make a positive start to the chase, with opener Kushal Perera heading to the hut in the first over. Ajinkya Rahane and Sanju Samson then took over the charge.
Both of them notched up half-centuries while stitching an inning-reviving 99-run partnership. Just when it was looking like an easy deal for RR, Harbhajan Singh came out of his shell.
The legendary spinner picked up four wickets in quick succession to demolish the opposition middle order. After Samson, only Stuart Binny could manage a two-digit score. Kieron Pollard also shone with the ball and fetched three scalps, with RR getting bundled out 169 runs.
It was the penultimate edition of the CLT20. The tournament was discontinued after 2014 due to a lack of viewership and financial sustainability.
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