Rajasthan Royals win IPL, beat Chennai in the final: Tournament a success

The Rajasthan Royals won the IPL, beating Chennai in the final match. During the entire tournament the Royals played outstanding cricket.

And final was no different. Yousuf Pathan's sparkling half-century had taken them close to victory but when matched looked going Chennai way, Sohail Tanveer and Shane Warne kept their cool and reached the total on the last ball.

The Royals scored 164 in 20 overs losing seven wickets. Until the last ball it remained a high-tension match and when Tanvir's hit cleared the ropes, Mahendra Singh Dhoni knew he had lost it.

In the final, Yusuf Pathan gave a few chances but scored a rapidfire 56. Murlitharan was hit to the fence repeatedly and gave 39 runs in four overs.

At one point when Pathan got out, it appeared Chennai was back in the match but Warne and Tanvir kept their cool and in Balaji's last over, tension gripped the stadium and millions watching in their homes on television.

The match was decided in the final bowl. Earlier, Chennai had scored 163-5. Raina, Dhoni and Patel contributed to the score. Yusuf Pathan took three wickets and conceded only 22 runs of his four overs.

Pathan has been the discovery of the tournament. He hit maximum sixes in the tournament. In the end it was a deserving win. Through out the tournament, the team played like a cohesive unit though nobody had taken them seriously until then.

The Daredevils, the Knightriders and the other big names faded as the tournament progressed. But Rajasthan Royals emerged as the strongest team that almost looked invincible.