On this day in 2019: Lasith Malinga strikes on final ball as Mumbai Indians win record 4th IPL title – Firstcricket News, Firstpost

Shardul Thakur was so near yet so far to have done the heroics for Chennai Super Kings on the final day of 2019’s Indian Premier League. On 12 May, 2019, Mumbai Indians’ pacer Lasith Malinga kept his nerve and used his experience to bring the 4th IPL title for Mumbai in the last-ball thriller.

Mumbai Indians won the 4th IPL title in the last-ball thriller. IANS

Defending two runs in the last ball, Malinga bowled a slower yorker in the middle stump to Shardul who completely missed the line as he attempted to swipe it down the leg side and got trapped. The ball hit the pad and Malinga wasted no time appealing for an LBW. The on-field umpire Nitin Menon raised his finger to confirm the victory for the Mumbai brigade by one run.

Mumbai Indians’ skipper Rohit Sharma trusted Malinga to defend nine runs in the final over and the Sri Lankan quick did not disappoint. He restricted in-form Shane Watson from playing big shots. However, Watson got run-out dramatically on the 4th delivery of the over, while striving to get the strike back.

Having played the first-class cricket together for Mumbai, Rohit was well aware of the range of shots that Shardul could go for. Before Malinga went for the final run-up, he had a discussion with the skipper who asked him to try a slower delivery hoping Shardul might sky it for a biggie. As per the instruction, Malinga used his expertise in delivering a perfect slower yorker to bring Shardul’s downfall.

Batting first, Mumbai Indians registered a moderate 149 and Kieron Pollard was the only batter to cross the 30-run mark. The Caribbean batter scored a 25-ball 41 to post a worth fighting target. Although it was a hard task to defend the high-flying yellow army, Shane Watson was a man on a mission to play a blistering 80 run-knock in 59 deliveries.

Mumbai pacer Jasprit Bumrah was exceptionally well with the ball. He did not let the middle order stand and picked up a couple of crucial wickets of Ambati Rayudu and Dwayne Bravo and was named the player of the match. He gave away just 13 runs in his 4-over spell. With the win, Mumbai Indians scripted history by winning the IPL trophy for a record four times.

Read all the Latest News, Trending News, Cricket News, IPl Live Score UpdateLatest IPL Schedule 2022 , and , IPl 2022 Points tableEntertainment News here. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.