Vineet Ramakrishnan
Change is a constant, and inevitability just goes along – if Chennai Super Kings’ winning ways was the inevitability, the change had to come, and it came in the form of Kolkata Knight Riders. The Knight Riders dethroned the Super Kings to win their maiden IPL title by 5 wickets chasing down 191 in 19.4 overs - - Gambhir the captain outwitted Dhoni the captain at the MA Chidambaram stadium in the IPL 2012 final.
ALSO READ: As it happened » I The Knights who dethroned Super Kings » I KKR’s road to glory» I Debate: Is Gambhir a better captain than Dhoni?» I IPL Final: In Pics»
Again, it was not Gambhir or Sunil Narine who anchored KKR to glory, but the change here again was Manvinder Singh Bisla. The wicket keeper-batsman, playing his 7th game of the season, took the game by the scruff of its neck with a counter attacking 89 runs off just 48 balls.
Manvinder Singh Bisla’s unexpected counter attack took Chennai Super Kings by surprise. He clobbered Albie Morkel for four boundaries in the 4th over milking 20 runs off it. Bisla continued his charge with two sixes off Ashwin two overs later and in just 27 balls reached his 50. He went on with his rampage only to be dismissed in the 15th over that later proved to be a match winning knock.
But all along, the best all rounder of the world Jacques Kallis played the second fiddle to perfection with a valiant 69 runs off 49 balls. By the time team KKR’s anchor got out, the equation read 15 runs off 8 balls. Shakib hit the last ball of the penultimate over for four and with 9 needed off 6 balls, Manoj Tiwary hit two consecutive fours to seal the deal as the Knights led by Gautam Gambhir took the crown from the Dhoni’s Super Kings.
When Gautam Gambhir’s stumps were rattled by a Ben Hifenhaus' slower one in the very first over, it seemed the game was done and dusted there. But the best team of the IPL season five did not give up and chased down 191 runs for victory.
Hifenhaus completed his quota of 4 overs conceding just 25 runs and picking up the important wickets of Gambhir and Kallis. But Albie Morkel was off mark and leaked 38 runs in 4 overs. Ravichandran Ashwin though got the crucial wicket of Yusuf Pathan, conceding 41 runs in 4 overs. Even the talisman, Dwayne Bravo, went for plenty (3.4-0-49-1).
Earlier in the day, the summit clash saw the maverick Suresh Raina’s take KKR bowlers to the task with a 38-ball 73 and along with Hussey (43-ball 54) helped Chennai Super Kings set a target of 191 runs against Kolkata Knight Riders at the MA Chidambaram stadium on Sunday in the IPL 2012 final.
As was the case in the IPL 2011 final, Michael Hussey and Murali Vijay laid the perfect platform for the defending champions here at the IPL 2012 final with a solid 87-run partnership in 62 balls.
Gambhir started with Brett Lee and Shakib Al Hasan and the duo got 54 runs off the first 6 overs as Vijay milked the 6th over for 19 runs.
Murali Vijay carried on with the momentum of the last game as he shimmied down the track repeatedly and his hoicks repeatedly found the gaps. At the score of 42, Rajat Bhatia got the wicket of Murali Vijay as Shakib Al Hasan completed a good catch at deep square leg.
Then walked in Suresh Raina and he got his bat to do the talking right from the word go, a big match player you would say, the southpaw amassed 73 runs in just 38 balls that rocketed the Chennai total to a massive 191 runs.
But all along it was the birthday boy Michael Hussey who held one end tight with 43-ball 54.
From KKR, Brett Lee was thrashed for 42 runs in 4 overs and the ‘mystery’ spinner was finally demystified by none other than Suresh Raina. Sunil Narine went for 37 runs in 4 overs and went wicketless.
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