Warne's Royals win IPL
2008-06-01 21:34
Mumbai - Yusuf Pathan announced himself on the world stage but Shane Warne was inevitably there at the end as the Rajasthan Royals beat the Chennai Super Kings by three wickets in a thoroughly entertaining Indian Premier League final in Mumbai on Sunday.
It looked all over bar the shouting as Pathan blazed 56 off 39 balls to leave Rajasthan needing just 39 runs off four overs with six wickets in hand.
But the Royals still needed their coach, captain and wise old head Warne to get them over the line in a thrilling finish as they lost three wickets for 18 runs in the next 10 balls.
Pathan was run out, thanks to some inspired fielding by Suresh Raina, in a superb 18th over from Albie Morkel that cost just six runs, but Warne struck a crucial boundary off Makhaya Ntini late in the penultimate over as Rajasthan went into the last over needing eight runs to win.
Lakshmipathy Balaji, who had been clobbered for 34 runs in his first three overs, conceded just two singles in the first three balls, but it went awry thereafter as the fourth ball was a wide wicketkeeper Parthiv Patel could not gather cleanly, conceding a bye on top of the run and an extra ball.
Rajasthan then needed four off three balls and Sohail Tanvir sent the next two deliveries skimming through the infield to seal victory off the last ball.
Both he and Warne, who has put himself right back on top of the cricketing food chain, finished with run-a-ball nine not outs.
South Africans Morkel (two for 25) and Ntini (4-1-21-0) were the most threatening Chennai bowlers, but the pair were fighting a lone battle.
Rajasthan had earlier looked dead and buried as they struggled to 44 for three after seven overs. Ntini had stormed in with the new ball and also produced a fine piece of fielding to run out Kamran Akmal for six after the Pakistani wicketkeeper had attempted an ill-judged run.
Massive successive sixes
But Shane Watson, the player of the tournament, once again showed he is a keen reader of the game and he timed the ball beautifully as he stroked 28 off 19 balls.
But Pathan was initially not singing the same tune, his first 20 runs taking him 22 balls as Morkel, in particular, caused him a heap of trouble.
But the strapping 25-year-old transferred the pressure back on to Chennai with a pair of massive, successive sixes off Muttiah Muralitharan and from them on Pathan powered them to the brink of victory with two more sixes and three fours.
India's new hero had earlier starred with the ball as the Chennai Super Kings scored 163 for five.
Off-spinner Pathan, who bowls at a brisk pace and generally lands the ball straight but back of a length, was the pick of the Rajasthan bowlers with three for 22 in four outstanding overs.
Pathan, who was called up last week for the Indian limited-overs squad, took the first three wickets when the Chennai top-order were in and well set.
Sivaramakrishnan Vidyut (16) and Morkel (16) both skied cramped pulls and when Parthiv was neatly caught behind by Kamran for 38 off 33 balls, Chennai, on 95 for three in the 13th over, were left with a mountain to climb in order to post a challenging total.
But the in-form Raina then scored 43 in 30 balls before he was dismissed by Watson in the 17th over, while captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni scored 29 not out off 17 balls in the closing overs to leave his team in with a shout.
Watson bowled superbly at the death, conceding just 11 runs in his last two overs.
Teams:
Rajasthan Royals: Niraj Patel, Swapnil Asnodkar, Kamran Akmal (wk), Shane Watson, Mohammad Kaif, Yusuf Pathan, Ravindra Jadeja, Sohail Tanvir, Shane Warne (capt), Siddharth Trivedi, Munaf Patel.
Chennai Super Kings: Parthiv Patel (wk), S Vidyut, Suresh Raina, Mahendra Singh Dhoni (capt), Chamara Kapugedera, S Badrinath, Albie Morkel, Manpreet Gony, Lakshmipathy Balaji, Muttiah Muralitharan, Makhaya Ntini.