Raina blitz wins it for Chennai

How did Chennai win this? How did Bangalore lose this? Chennai always seemed to be lagging behind but surged forward like a tidal wave in an odd run-filled over now and then to storm in to the IPL final. At the forefront was a feisty Suresh Raina, who reeled in the big shots through the latter half of the chase to pull off an improbable win.

Bangalore will look back and rue at a few poor overs. There were full tosses and length deliveries galore and Chennai cashed in some style. Virat Kohli bowled a slew of full tosses in the ninth over, leaking 16 runs and Abhimanyu Mithun kept bowling length deliveries in the 13th over, bleeding 23 runs. It included a fabulously carved six over covers on a bent knee, apart from a muscled heave over long-off, by Raina. Even then, the equation -82 from 42 balls- seemed a tough proposition and it got tougher when it came down to 58 from 24. Chris Gayle had led from front with a parsimonious spell that read 4-0-19-0 as he fired in the skidders and the occasional yorker to pin down Chennai.

But that man Raina wasn't done yet and ramped it up style in the 17th over bowled by Zaheer Khan, who had bowled so well in his first spell of three overs. Raina's two sixes over midwicket, a thumping pull and a clubbed swing, was sandwiched by a bottom-hand powered six over wide long-on by MS Dhoni, who fell in the same over. Zaheer went for 20 runs in that over and Chennai had well and truly seized the momentum.

More agony awaited Bangalore in the 19th over. Albie Morkel crashed a slower ball over long-on and clubbed a full toss over long-off before Raina killed another full toss over midwicket boundary. That 21-run over left Chennai needing 12 from the final over by Daniel Vettori and Morkel dragged a four to wide long-on and absolutely walloped the fourth delivery over midwicket boundary to win the contest.