How conceding 49 became the most surprising winning spell!
Finals are not for the faint-hearted, and the 2019 IPL summit clash in Hyderabad was no exception. Two giants—Mumbai Indians and Chennai Super Kings—locked horns in a low-scoring thriller. Drama brewed from the very start. Edges flew, catches were dropped, and nerves frayed. It was the kind of night where one moment made heroes and the next turned them into scapegoats.
Credit: MI
And somewhere in this topsy-turvy tale stood Lasith Malinga, Mumbai's lion-hearted death specialist—bleeding runs, fumbling in the field, seemingly written off by most. Before the last over of the game, his figures read 3 overs, 42 runs. He looked done. But cricket, like life, loves a good twist. And Malinga's twist came with the final ball of the match.
Earlier, Mumbai chose to bat, believing that runs on the board could pressure even Dhoni's calculating CSK side. They started brightly—De Kock smashed 3 sixes off Deepak Chahar, leaving Mumbai flying at 45 for 0 in under 5 overs. But cricket's pendulum swings fast. In the space of two deliveries, the scoreboard stuttered to 45 for 2, with De Kock gloving one and Rohit Sharma deceived by a knuckleball.
Credit: ESPN
From there, it became a tactical chessboard. Dhoni pulled the strings, shuffled bowlers, and dried up the runs. Mumbai crawled to 149 for 8, with Pollard's unbeaten 41 being the glue that held it together. Chahar ended with figures of 3 for 26. The pitch wasn't a belter, but 149? Hardly intimidating.
Chennai's chase wasn't swashbuckling either. Faf du Plessis set the tone, but Shane Watson dug deep. At 53 for 1 in the Powerplay, CSK appeared in control. Watson absorbed pressure and dismantled the bowlers at crucial moments, especially Malinga in the 16th over. Three consecutive boundaries off the Lankan slinger reduced the equation to 42 from 24. Surely, Chennai had it in the bag?
Credit: ESPN
But the match twisted again. Bumrah bowled a spectacular 17th over, conceding just 4 runs. Rohit turned to Hardik and Krunal, attempting to shield Malinga, who seemed to have lost his mojo.
Then Watson exploded once more. Krunal was carted for 3 sixes, and Chennai managed to pull it back to needing 9 off 6.
Credit: Business Standard
Malinga stood at the top of his mark, 9 to defend. A career's worth of experience packed into one over.
Ball one: Yorker, nailed. Dot.
Ball two: Low full toss, a fumble but only 1 run.
Ball three: Yorker again, driven for 2.
Ball four: Wide yorker—Watson gambles for 2 and is run out. Massive.
Ball five: Thakur gets 2.
Two runs needed off the final ball. One stroke could crown Chennai champions.
Credit: IPL
Yet Malinga didn't choose the safe route. No wide yorker. No panic. Just a dipping slower ball on a length—so cunning, so calculated—it had Thakur plumb in front. The umpire raises the finger. Mumbai won the match by just 1 run and secured their fourth IPL title.
It was the ultimate redemption from a bowler who conceded 49 in his 4 overs.
Credit: ESPN
This wasn't just about numbers or tactics—it was about temperament. Malinga, bearing the weight of a disappointing night, summoned one final wizardry spell.
He didn't swing for the fences. He outthought the batter. Outfoxed expectations. And in that one moment, he demonstrated why champions don't always roar—they sometimes whisper. And when they do, it's enough to silence an entire stadium.
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