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home with an undefeated 54. That set up a last-four encounter
with Kings XI Punjab in Mumbai, where some inspirationally
tight bowling from Gony, who took two for 14 in four overs,
and Muralitharan (one for 19), restricted the Mohali team to 112
for eight, before undefeated fifties from Parthiv Patel - finally
blossoming as an opener after starting in Hayden’s shadow -
and Raina.

And so to the final, where a team effort helped Chennai, asked
to bat by Rajasthan Royals, post a challenging total of 163 for
five. Patel got things going with 38 off 33 balls at the top of the
order, but the impetus came from Raina, who cracked 43 in 30
deliveries and, inevitably perhaps, Dhoni, whose undefeated 29
in 17 balls included two sixes. Fittingly for a final, the game went
down to the wire, with the Royals’ eighth-wicket pair needing
eight to win off Balaji’s last six balls. Thanks in part to two wides,
they did it in the nick of time.

If the conclusion was disappointing, there was no denying that
Chennai had left their mark on a tournament which many felt
would prove beyond their reach following the departure of
Hussey and Hayden. The maturity of Raina, who would later
return to India’s one-day side on the back of his performances
in the IPL, and the calm authority of Dhoni were a joy to
behold. Gony and Morkel both finished among the top 10 in the
tournament’s list of leading wicket-takers, and the boundary-
clearing brilliance of Hussey, in the side’s opening match, remain
long in the memory.

“I think the standard of our cricket was really good,” said Dhoni
after the final. “We’re not really unhappy or bogged down by it.
We’ll go back to our hotel and enjoy it. That’s what sport is all
about. The response from our team was great. Even the guys
who didn’t get a chance were completely behind the team. So
the spirit was great.”

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