A galaxy of international stars might have added fizz to the IPL but it was India's most improved domestic player who sparkled in the tense final. Few outside India might have heard of Yusuf Pathan before this tournament but he imposed himself on the grand stage, snaffling three wickets before smashing a scintillating 56, setting the stage for the inspirational Shane Warne to pull off the last-ball thriller.
It was fitting that the most consistent side in the tournament held their nerve to clinch a nailbiter. Chennai summoned every ounce of their reserves to take the match to the last ball but a calm swat from Sohail Tanvir, when one was needed off the last ball, sparked some heady celebrations in the Rajasthan dug-out. The least expensive side in the league had completed the coup that had them winning 13 of their 16 matches.
It was a cat-and-mouse battle at the DY Patil Stadium. Unlike in the two semifinals, neither team held a clear advantage at the end of the first innings. The Chennai Super Kings paced their innings well, not trying anything too rash, and a collective effort took them to a fighting 163.
Rajasthan Royals, who chose to field after winning their 11th toss, weren't as dominant with the ball as they've usually been but Yusuf Pathan's three strikes ensured that the game never really got away. The surface was expected to help the faster men but it was bowlers with variety who prospered as the ball occasionally stopped on the bat. A slow outfield hindered the batting side early on but Suresh Raina's meaty hitting rendered it redundant by the end.
A glittering closing ceremony preceded the game but neither team dazzled early on. The game was played out on an elastic band with both sides vying for the advantage - just as Chennai's batsmen appeared to have sized up the conditions, Rajasthan would strike back with a wicket. Parthiv Patel went about laying the platform sensibly, interspersing judicious glides with clean slaps, before Raina and Mahendra Singh Dhoni took them to a competitive total.
Dhoni had offered a cautionary warning to his batsmen: "The previous games here have not produced too many big totals," he said at the toss, "so it's important that the batsmen realise that and play accordingly." Chennai accordingly ensured they didn't lose the plot - as Punjab had done last night - and did their bit to thwart a sharp bowling attack.
Rajasthan tried to use the short ball against S Vidyut but he backed away and slashed over the third-man region instead, a shot that brought the first six of the match. It was clear that Vidyut was going to get after the bowling as Parthiv playing a steady hand. But his attempt to smash Yusuf out of the ground didn't come off - charging down the track, he wasn't to the pitch of the ball and holed out to deep midwicket, where Ravindra Jadeja snapped up a sharp catch diving forward.
Raina and Patel, the duo who took Chennai to victory last night, put on a useful 25-run stand but it was more accumulation than attack. Parthiv's dismissal, edging to the wicketkeeper and watching Kamran Akmal juggle before completing the catch, allowed Albie Morkel to inject some urgency into the innings. His two sixes over midwicket livened the atmosphere but Yusuf ensured there was no extended fireworks. Akmal held on to a skier from Morkel but the bad news for Rajasthan was that he collided with Mohammad Kaif, who had to leave the field with an injury.
Raina motored along, before holing out to long-off, but it was strange to see Chamara Kapugedera being sent ahead of S Badrinath. Kapugedera pottered around for a 12-ball 8 and it was down to Dhoni to up the rate. Shane Watson's 17th over, where he conceded just 3 and picked up a wicket, appeared to tilt the scales but a few mighty hits from Dhoni took them past 160. Mumbai's match-winning 162 against Delhi has been the highest score on this ground and Dhoni might just think that his side have done enough to put up a serious fight.
