It was a quest for the third IPL title in 2017 for Mumbai Indians, having won in 2013 and 2015 before. If the team would get this, it would become the first team to do so. After four encounters with Rising Pune Supergiants, some knocks to remember and some bowling that left us spellbound, the Men in Blue and Gold did manage to grab their third IPL trophy amidst much love and cheer.

Like every successful journey, this too wasn’t a cakewalk. It had its ups and downs, highs and lows, but what mattered is that in the end, the players gave One Family an opportunity to come together and celebrate the sweet tournament victory.

On the 4th anniversary of the win, below are six memorable encounters of MI’s journey to their third IPL win.

A low-scoring final, a one-run victory

The final turned out to be a low scoring thriller. So far, RPS had defeated MI in all the three former encounters that season. The stakes were high, so despite the recent history, MI had to give it all.

After MI chose to bat first, the team was restricted to a total of 129/8, mostly driven on Krunal Pandya’s crucial knock of 47 (38). With a tough target to defend, and the title to win, the bowlers took over the baton to go ahead with the proceedings.

Things got nervous when Mitchell Johnson had to defend 11 off the last over with half-centurion Steve Smith and Manoj Tiwary at the crease. After being sent away for a four, he scalped both their wickets in consecutive deliveries. A bye and a couple of runs later, four were needed off the last ball. However, a tight yorker ensured that the batters could only run two, with a run-out before the third run was completed, stealing a one-run win!

The moment we were crowned champions! It doesn't get any better than this! 💪🏆😍#CricketMeriJaan #IPLfinal #BELI3VE pic.twitter.com/Ez7aq3rEdp

— Mumbai Indians (@mipaltan) May 21, 2017

Karn Sharma, Jasprit Bumrah sweep up KKR batters in Q2

After losing the first qualifier to RPS, MI had to take the longer route, meet KKR in the second qualifier, and definitely win to make it to the final. The team, up for the challenge, kept it tight for the KKR batters from early on, allowing them to put up only 107/10 in 18.5 overs.

Leggie Karn Sharma’s 4/16 and Bumrah’s 3/7 had the KKR batters looking for answers and failing to find them. In fact, for KKR, the high scorer was Suryakumar Yadav, who would be donning the MI colours in the upcoming year, with a 31 (25).

A 45* (30) from Krunal Pandya, aided by a 26 (24) from captain Rohit Sharma, was sufficient to chase down the target with ease. The team put on 111/4 in 14.3 overs to sail into the final, leaving behind a KKR battered by the MI bowling prowess.

A super over from Bumrah and a Parthiv Patel special vs GL

This match saw the first Super Over of IPL 2017. Batting first, Gujarat Lions set up a total of 153/9, with Krunal Pandya bagging three wickets, and Malinga and Bumrah getting two each. Parthiv Patel’s 70 (44) was just enough to take MI to 153/10 in their 20 overs.

This meant that the teams would play the Super Over. Buttler and Pollard put on 11 runs for MI before the latter and Rohit got out on consecutive balls. GL needed 12 runs to win this thriller, and Burmah was the man with the job of defending those precious runs.

The tension in the air increased as Bumrah started off with a no ball. It followed with a leg bye and a wide. However, the next five balls, all legal deliveries, accounted for a mere three runs in an astonishingly well-bowled super over. Despite the shaky start, Bumrah held his nerve to keep the runs from flowing in, winning the game for the team!

The 146-run win over DD

Riding on Lendl Simmons’ 66 (43) and Kieron Pollard’s 63* (35), Mumbai Indians put up 212 runs on board in the first innings. Little did they know that this would be more than enough against Delhi Daredevils (now Delhi Capitals) on that May evening.

Once again, the MI bowlers were raring to go and prove to the world that they were indeed the best attacking pack out there. They were quick in taking wickets and shared the spoils. Mitchell McClenaghan and Bumrah got 1 wicket each, Malinga claimed two and spinners Harbhajan Singh and Karn Sharma scalped three each.

It was an absolute riot. Karun Nair’s 21 was the highest individual score for DD. All the batters were quickly sent back, and they could only manage 66/10 in 13.4 overs. This 146-run win is the biggest win in terms of runs in IPL till date!

A thumping 8-wicket win vs KXIP, chasing down 199

It was total top order dominance in this game against KXIP (now Punjab Kings). A sizzling century from KXIP opener Hashim Amla helped the team put up a score of 198/4 in 20 overs, and it felt like the team had a task at hand here.

However, Jos Buttler was in the mood to show some exceptional batting skills. His 77 (37), studded with 7 fours and 5 sixes, lead the way for an exciting MI win. It was followed closely by Nitish Rana’s knock of 62* (34), with seven maximums in his innings, that helped MI chase down 199 in merely 15.3 overs!

First Buttler stitched an 81-run stand with Parthiv Patel in a powerplay that had just 6 dot balls, the second least ever. It was followed by an 85-run partnership with Rana, after which Hardik just came in to finish the proceedings. Recalling this game truly brings back the adrenaline rush we got it the first time we watched it unfold!

From 7/4 to  chasing 146 vs RCB with some Pollard magic

In this game, the Men in Blue and Gold chose to field first. Fortunately for them, they restricted RCB to 142/5, which looked easy on a good Bengaluru pitch. Luck decided to have some fun that day, it looked like, and threatened to make it harder for them.

Seven runs through the chase, MI lost opener Parthiv Patel. The worrisome fact was that three wickets later, their score had refused to budge, and the team was reeling at 7/4. When Nitish Rana fell, the scoreboard read 33/5 at the end of the eighth, with Pollard and Krunal Pandya left to up the ante.

The Big Man quickly switched on his power-hitting mode to score 70 (47) and single-handedly pull out the team from a swindle, and win the game. This could easily go down as one of the best Kieron Pollard knocks in the MI Blue and Gold!

The 2017 IPL edition spoke of believing in the team’s abilities, skill and strength to overcome adversities and win. For the Paltan, it is a fond memory of a team doing its best to keep the millions of cheers strong and loud!