2019 - A year where records were broken, dreams were scripted, our greats delivered, and the fans cheered. It was the year when the Mumbai Indians, packed with a strong unit, delivered performances that brought home a record 4th IPL title.

The final being against CSK, the match going down to the wire, a low scoring thriller - everything now looks like a perfect edge-of-the-seat movie for a historic IPL finale - the team that would win, would become the first to win a 4th title.

On this day, we celebrate two years of this exciting win, and even as we are here, we can’t help but have flashes of the energy, the exuberance and cheer that pertained that day. Let us go down the memory lane and go through the top six moments for the Men in Blue and Gold from 2019. Hold on tight, this trip is going to give you a mad adrenaline rush!

Lasith Malinga’s final over

Nine runs needed off the last six balls. Sri Lankan veteran Lasith Malinga had the ball. An in-form Shane Watson was on strike and big hitter Ravindra Jadeja at the other end. Malinga had gone for 20 runs in his previous over, and winning this game was the only way he could find redemption.

Amidst the roar of the crowd, Malinga gave away just two singles in the first two balls. At this point, seven is needed off four, and Watson takes a double, to bring the equation down to five off three. And then, drama.

Watson completes a single off the fourth ball, comes back for a second, but is run out by Krunal Pandya’s throw to the ‘keeper. Shardul Thakur comes in, and takes a double off the next ball. And MI needed a dot to win the game.

Malinga delivers the final blow - a slower yorker on the middle, and the batsman, who looks to swipe it towards the leg-side, misses. Thakur is caught leg before wicket, and MI script an unbelievable victory!

Alzarri Joseph’s sizzling 6/12

The Caribbean had a dream start to the IPL. Alzarri Joseph was handed his MI cap in the team’s first encounter against SRH in 2019. The youngster ran riot through the SRH batting order, taking six wickets in the first game, entering the tournament with a bang!

The Mumbai Indians set a target of 137, and when the bowlers took over in the second half of the game, it looked like they had a huge task at hand, defending this total with big players like David Warner and Jonny Bairstow coming in to bat. However, Alzarri didn’t think so.

He started off by cleaning up Warner, followed by Vijay Shankar, and SRH were at 3-42, with Chahar accounting for Bairstow. Chahar saw off Yousuf Pathan too. Behrendorff and Bumrah got one wicket each too. Then, in the 15th and 17th over, Alzarri got four, and restricted SRH to a paltry 96/10. His figures 6/12 are the best ever in IPL.

MIvSRH - A superb Super Over from Bumrah

Setting the target, the Men in Blue and Gold put up 162/5 in the designated 20 overs, mostly build on Quinton de Kock’s 69*. In Mumbai’s Wankhede, this was a very chasable total. But, MI’s bowlers made SRH batsmen toil for runs, and despite Manish Pandey’s 71*, they could only equal MI’s total.

Jasprit Bumrah and the Pandya brothers had picked two wickets each, helping restrict SRH to 162/6. It was super over time, and SRH came out to bat first, with Bumrah carrying forward the proceedings with the ball.

The ace pacer gave away just eight runs and took the wickets of Manish Pandey and Mohammed Nabi to ensure that MI had a chasable total for their Super Over. A glorious six off the first ball, a single off the next, and Hardik had ensured MI needed two off four to win. Pollard swiftly took a double of the next to win the game.

Surya’s all-important 71*(54) in Qualifier 1

Yet another important knock, and yet again, with CSK as the opponent. Playing Qualifier 1 against CSK, meeting them for the third time in the season, it was essential that the team got the direct ticket to the final, instead of taking the longer route and playing the eliminator.

With two down at 21 runs, and needing to chase a total of 132 runs, Suryakumar Yadav paved the way to victory with a well-paced 71* (54). With ten fours and a strike rate of 131.48, Surya played a mature knock to ensure the team was taken across the line safe and steady.

Mumbai Indians won that game by six wickets, with 9 balls to spare. Despite that, one cannot take the credit off Surya. He stood tall on a day when the others struggled, and that spoke volumes of what he was capable of.

The Pollard-KXIP (now Punjab Kings) affair

Chasing down 198 runs, needing 133 in the last 10, and with wickets steadily falling on the other side, it was never an easy task. But Kieron Pollard made it his own, and the stand-in captain on that day, lead from the front to script an impossible victory.

He scored 83 (31), and the magnitude of that innings stands out when one realises that sixty of those runs came in sixes. From gaping a huge loss to scripting a fantastic win, the Polly show turned out to be a stunner again.

MI became the first team to chase down 133 runs in the last 10 overs, courtesy this brilliant innings, and the Paltan, yet again, got a memory to closely hold on to.

Hardik’s memorable 91 (34) vs KKR

Hardik Pandya was at his finest in this particular game against KKR. Hitting all around the ground and sparing no one, Hardik touched the fifty-run mark in just 17 balls, and is the fastest MI player (now joined by Pollard) to do so.

Enroute to his 91, he hit nine sixes and six fours, and hence, bringing up 88 runs in boundaries. This knock was a reminder of why he is a powerhouse of talent, a shoulder to rely upon, and a fan-favourite for the Paltan.

MI may not have ended on the right side in this game, but Hardik’s fierce hitting, the ease with which he sent away the deliveries, and the way he stood up and took responsibility for the team will always be remembered.

We do hope you enjoyed this sweet throwback commemorating two years of MI’s fourth title win. Do let us know which moment was your favorite!