Super Kings clinch IPL title by beating Mumbai Indians

The Chennai Super Kings secured their first Indian Premier League title after a devastating 22 run victory over the Mumbai Indians. At one stage it looked Keiron Pollard almost won the game for the Indians with a dramatic 10 balls innings.

Having suffered a disastrous start, losing three early wickets, the Super Kings were rescued by Suresh Raina who scored a wonderful half century to help set the Indians a target of 169 to win the 2010 Indian Premier League.

Chasing such a high total the Indians struggled on a rapidly slowing wicket that was becoming harder and harder to score on as the Super Kings spinners created a strangle hold on the game as the Indians lost wicket at regular intervals.
Having survived a run out in the third over, Tendulkar, partnered by Abhishek Nayar started to patiently rebuild the Indians innings on a rapidly slowing wicket that made scoring harder and harder as the game went on. With the run rate creeping over 10 an over the pressure was really starting to mount on Tendulkar and Nayar as neither batsman could force the issue as the Super Kings spinners started to get a strangle hold. Muttiah Muralitharan was the most impressive conceding just 4 runs in his first 2 overs.

The game slowly was drifting out of the Indians hands Nayar tried to rebalance the power by smashing 15 runs of the bowling of Shadab Jakati as the Indians reached 58-1 after 10 overs needing another 111 runs from just 60 balls to claim victory. With Nayar looking more and more comfortable at the crease the Super Kings struck back running out the wicket keeper after he went for a quick single as he tried to give Tendulkar the strike.

The Indians' skipper was visibly angry with Nayar's dismissal, smashing his bat into the ground but it was the second time in the innings that Tendulkar had turned down an easy single. The loss of Nayar brought Harbhajan Singh to the crease but even though the Indians had lost a wicket the arrival of the big hitting spinner was just what they needed as the run rate crept over 11 for the first time in their run chase.

Unfortunately for the Indians Harbhajan Singh's time at the crease was limited to just 2 balls after he was trapped LBW by Raina to leave the Indians 73-3. With time running out Tendulkar was joined at the crease by Rayudu with the Indians now needing a special innings from their skipper to save the game, but any chance of a fairy tale finish was ended when the little master was dismissed on 48 after he was caught by Vijay out on the boundary.

Jakati picked up his second wicket of the over 3 balls later when Saurabh Tiwary was caught by the impressive Raina as the Indians slumped to 100-5. With another 69 runs needed from 31 balls JP Duminy amazing came to the crease ahead of the big hitting Pollard. Duminy offered little resistant and his dismissal finally brought Pollard to the crease who opened his account with a boundary before smashing Bollinger for a huge six off the next ball.

The carnage continued as Pollard scored two runs before smashing another four and then his second six of the over to leave the Indians needing another 33 runs from the last 12 balls. Albie Morkel managed to slow down the rampaging Pollard conceding just 6 runs before the West Indian was caught by Hayden off the last ball of Morkel's over to all but seal the victory with the Indians still needing another 27 runs from the last 6 balls. Pollard departed having scored an amazing 27 runs from just 10 balls to leave the Indians wishing he had come into bat earlier in the innings. Chennai Super Kings claimed a 22 run victory over this year's hot favorite Mumbai Indians to clich the IPL title.