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2010 IPL: Chennai Super Kings crowned IPL-3 Champions

Suresh Raina scored a half-century, took a wicket and a superb catch as the Chennai Super Kings were crowned the 2010 Indian Premier League champions in Mumbai.

Raina scored 57 as the Super Kings, runners-up in 2008 and beaten semi-finalists last year, reached 168 for five and in reply the Mumbai Indians closed on 146 for nine to go down by 22 runs. He was first missed when two fielders left the ball to each other in the deep and then when he was dropped by Zaheer Khan at deep backward square. Matthew Hayden (17) survived an early close leg-before call to hit Harbhajan Singh for the first six of the final before he was by Rayadu as he pulled Kieron Pollard straight in the air and his opening partner Murali Vijay, having effortlessly smashed Khan into the stands, perished for 27 when he was caught by Tiwary; Fernando the bowler. From 67 for three, Raina, who hit three fours and three sixes, combined with his captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni to rebuild the innings and they took Chennai towards a competitive score, Dhoni making 22 and while Raina remained unbeaten on 57 in 35 balls Albie Morkel thumped 15 in six deliverie as Fernando returned two for 23.

Chennai made a good start to their fielding effort when Shikhar Dhawan edged Doug Bollinger to Dhoni for an eight-ball duck. Sachin Tendulkar held the key for Mumbai, and he formed a useful partnership of 66 with Abhishek Nayar for the second wicket to keep their side in touch despite only scoring 21 runs in the first five overs. Nayar thumped 27 in 26 balls before he ran himself out, Dhoni hitting the stumps with a direct hit. Harbhajan Singh’s promotion to number four neither worked or failed as he was trapped in front for one by Raina and once the Indians passed the century mark, they lost three wickets for 15 runs and they found themselves under immense pressure.

Tendulkar’s innings of 48 in 45 balls was ended when he was caught by Vijay off spinner Shadeb Jakati and his dismissal was followed by Raina’s outstanding diving catch in the deep to get rid of Saurabh Tiwary (2) and JP Duminy (6) perished in similar circumstances. Ambati Rayadu held things together with 20 in 14 balls before, with 55 runs required in three overs, Pollard came to the crease and almost turned the game. He hit his first two balls for ten runs, hitting three fours and two huge sixes before his luck ran out and he drilled Morkel to Hayden at mid-off to end a blistering innings of 27 in ten balls.

That was, in effect, the end of the match as a contest as Khan (1), Fernando (2 not out) and Malinga (1) were unable to prevent Chennai from closing out the match. Jakati emerged with the best figures of two for 27 while Bollinger, Morkel, Muralitharan and Raina took a wicket apiece as the Super Kings, the only team to have made the semi-finals in all three editions of the IPL, went one step further than they had achieved before.