In the only IPL final to feature a 150+ opening stand, Chennai Super Kings blew the roof off Chepauk, paving the way to their back-to-back crown in 2011
The IPL 2011 Final between Chennai Super Kings and Royal Challengers Bengaluru wasn’t just a match but a masterclass in setting the tone. The setting? A packed Chidambaram Stadium shimmering under floodlights. The mood? Electric. The stakes? Colossal.
Before RCB could even settle into their fielding boots, Michael Hussey and Murali Vijay accomplished what very few opening pairs have ever managed on the biggest stage—they transformed a high-pressure IPL final into a net session. Together, they forged a 159-run partnership, the only 150+ opening stand in an IPL final to date. In doing so, they gave Chennai a flying start and practically flew the trophy home.
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Michael Hussey—Mr Cricket—was all poise. He ran hard, rotated strikes, and picked the gaps with grace. His 63 off 45 wasn’t the loudest innings, but it was the glue. At the other end, Murali Vijay brought the fireworks. And then some.
Vijay’s knock of 95 off 52 balls, laced with 4 fours and 6 towering sixes, was an ode to fearless hitting. It wasn’t wild—it was measured mayhem. He played with his head but hit with his heart. By the time he departed in the 19th over, he had flung Chennai’s total well beyond the reach of most teams.
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But this wasn’t most teams. This was RCB—with Gayle, Kohli, and AB. Or so we thought.
The duo didn’t really dawdle. Hussey and Vijay reached 50 in just 31 balls. A hundred? That came in 63. And 150? They arrived there in 86 balls flat. Their rhythm was so smooth it felt like watching a highlights reel in real time. There wasn’t a single false shot until the 15th over. And they didn’t throw it away either. Hussey fell at 159. Vijay, a few balls later at 188. Job done.
When a side racks up 205 for 5 in a final, most fans would fancy a contest. But when the openers have already sapped the soul out of the opposition, that’s a different game altogether.
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RCB had Chris Gayle, but that was all hope and no fuel. Ashwin knocked him over for a duck in the first over, and it all unravelled from there. Virat Kohli tried to hang on but crawled to 35. De Villiers was trapped in front, and the rest just… fizzled out.
RCB stumbled to 147/8, falling short by a mammoth 58 runs—the second-biggest margin of defeat in an IPL final at the time. Ashwin (3/16) was clinical, and Jakati chipped in with 2 wickets. And Chennai? They coasted to their second title. Two in two years. A proper dynasty had begun.
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A 150+ opening stand in an IPL final hasn’t been repeated since. It’s not just rare—it’s unique. Finals are meant to be cagey. Tight. Tense. This wasn’t. This was bold, brazen, beautiful cricket.
In the fourteen editions that followed, plenty of teams have lifted the IPL trophy. Many have walked in with flair. But none have taken off the way Hussey and Vijay did that evening in Chennai.
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