Mumbai Indians players and coaches react after their 3rd IPL title win

It was a night to forget if you are a Rising Pune Supergiant and a night to remember if you are on the other side of Maharashtra. The Mumbai Indians survived despite being battered and bruised for 3/4th of the match, with the Supergiant imposing their strength on the two-time IPL champions.

However, even after winning three previous encounters with Mumbai, the Pune franchise could not muster the runs required to chase down the total of 130 to win the tournament for the very first time. The Mumbai Indians players and coaches were jubilant and on the verge of an emotional breakdown after the win.

Here is what they had to say:

The master blaster certainly played a part in Mumbai Indians’ third record IPL final victory. The cricketing legend was seen in the dugout motivating and giving valuable inputs to the players.

Sachin Tendulkar said – Simply amazing. The first half wasn’t great for us. We got together during the break and Mahela gave a nice speech. We believed that we could pull this off. The fielding was great under pressure. I have always believed in the saying, once a champion, always a champion. He (Malinga) has done well for us for a number of years. I was so sure that he was going to do something great tonight. He might not have had a great season, but he is one guy who can change it in one over.

The New Zealander was probably the one bowler who took the Mumbai Indians to this stage of the IPL with his fantastic bowling displays.

Mitchell McClenaghan said – I could not sit still. Bumrah, you guys have to realize what a superstar he is going to be in the future. Malinga as well, was brilliant.

Captain marvellous Rohit Sharma although struggled to perform with the bat, but his contribution on the field was more than vital for the victory.

Rohit said- I was quite nervous to be honest, but the guys pulled off a great game. To defend 130 was a great effort. I am very happy. We never needed to change our plan. If you take one wicket, two, three could come. We discussed about that. We bowled great variations. A lot of credit to the bowling unit. When you have bowlers like Bumrah and Malinga in the side, the belief is always there. Our spinners too, throughout the season, have been bowling well. This final will be special for me because of the way the team fought. Hats off to all the guys.

The bowling coach Shane Bond has had his impact on the Mumbai Indians with the bowler bowling in tight-lengths and spells restricting the opposition inside the target.

Bond said – It was exciting and heart-wrenching all at the same time. We spoke yesterday about the leaders stepping on the field. When the pressure came on, all the leaders stepped up. Just a brilliant young bowler, isn’t he (Bumrah)?. He’s been in pressure situations time and again and at 23, he keeps stepping up.

The fielding coach Robin Singh has moulded the team well alongside the South African Jonty Rhodes to help improve the fielding standards on the night that mattered the most.

Robin said – Bumrah bowled a superb spell as well as Malinga. The outfield was slow too. Once we got Smith and MS, of course, we got the game.

The batter did not have much say on the performance of the Mumbai Indians as he spent most of the nights watching while still recovering from the injury that he suffered in their very first encounter. Ambati Rayudu said – “I couldn’t contribute much with the bat, but the catch will remain with me.”

Arguably, the best batsman for the Mumbai Indians this season, veteran Parthiv Patel has taken his batting to the next level with an amazing season at Mumbai.

Parthiv said – I was batting really well in this season. Unfortunately I got out early today. They took the game too deep. Our spinners did really well. We played good cricket throughout the tournament. The catch that Rayudu took turned the game around for us. At the end the result matters.

The dasher from Delhi has been the find of the tournament for the Mumbai Indians with the player growing both in stature and confidence. Nitish Rana said – “Great experience. Just hope to carry this in the Ranji Trophy. This is my third IPL and my second trophy, can’t get better than that.”

The leggie Karn Sharma stepped up whenever the team required him to and has performed well throughout the IPL. He said – “The team backed me a lot and I am happy that I performed well. We had a plan of not giving boundaries to them.”

The West Indian started the tournament on a high before fading away in the latter part of the tournament

Lendl Simmons said – I thought everyone was really calm. The scoreboard pressure got to them. We bowled well, we fielded well and came out victorious. I think we have a lot of match winners in out team. One of us has put up their hand up to do the job. Today it was Krunal.

Arguably, one of the best bowlers for the Mumbai Indians if not the best for them. The right-arm seamer has been in the best season of his life so far and has proved his worth every time he bowls at the death of an innings.

Jasprit Bumrah said – The ball was reversing, we needed a wicket at that time. Mahi bhai’s wicket was the crucial wicket because he can be dangerous in these situations. After the first innings, we always wanted to fight because we were short on runs. Our bowling effort was brilliant. After every over we were backing each other that we can still make it.

While Bumrah made the impact with the ball, the West Indian Kieron Pollard made it count with the bat and his presence on the field was in itself a threat for the opposition. Polly said – “We have been playing team cricket. We showed the character. Well played to Krunal for the way he batted to keep us in the game.”

The Pandya brothers are arguably the best performing brother combination in the league. Both the brothers have produced regular contributions for the side at each and every instance when the team needed them.

Krunal Pandya said – “I just wanted to play 20 overs when wickets were falling at the other end. If I am there till the 19th or 20th over, I can get some big shots.”

Hardik Pandya said – “I really felt the game that we won against Delhi. That gave us belief because we had played like champions.”