Raina century leads CSK to title
Suresh Raina bossed a Kolkata Knight Riders attack without the banned Sunil Narine for his third T20 century to lead Chennai Super Kings to their second Champions League T20 title
Suresh Raina bossed a Kolkata Knight Riders attack without the banned Sunil Narine for his third T20 century to lead Chennai Super Kings to their second Champions League T20 title
Scorer: Gopi Rangarajan | Commentator: Devashish Fuloria
That brings us to the end of our coverage of this tournament. Abhishek Purohit's report will be ready soon and there will be many more features to come over the next two days. Thanks for your comments and feedback. Ciao ciao.
"Overall it was a fantastic game for us," says MS Dhoni. "To start off it was a good toss to win. It was slightly difficult for the opposition bowlers. Our fielding was not up to the mark. In finals, you have to take the game to the next level. So we didn't start well. Negi is not afraid to toss the ball. It was important to do that to get something out of the wicket. What's important is to get to the knockouts. After that you may win games, you may lose games. We have made eight finals, won four, i won't say it is too bad. We made quite a few errors in the last two finals, so what we took out of those finals was really important. Raina was aggressive throughout and he ensured he stayed till the end."
"All of us should be proud of each other, the way we showed character," says Gautam Gambhir. "The journey is not yet complete, it has just started. We thought 170-180 was a very good total, but in the second innings there was dew as well, it was difficult to grip the balls for spinners. We have great characters, tough characters. The guys should be proud of what they have achieved. They will be better next year."
Suresh Raina gets an award for hitting most sixes, another for most sixes in the tournament, the golden bat award and the Man of the Series award, but Pawan Negi is the Man of the Match for his five-wicket haul. "There was turn in the wicket, so I tried to bowl slow," says Negi. "It was a big match and a final, i only tried to give my best."
Sunil Narine maybe absent but he has won the golden wicket award.
Cape Cobras get an award for fairplay.
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Celebration goes around Bangalore as Chennai players continue their revelry. It was a good match in the final - a team that surprises you if it doesn't make to the final and another one that has seen itself notch up an amazing run of success this year - but in the end, as often happens, Chennai Super Kings found their stars in the final.
"I have seen Virat Kohli bat and hit big hundreds and i have learnt from him that you can't throw it away," says Raina. "I have also learnt a lot from Yuvraj on how to finish innings. In the last seven years, I have played with Fleming, Hayden, Hussey.. and I have learnt from them on how to build an innings."
"We have been here before in 2010, but it has been a long time since then. So very happy," says Ashwin. "He (Raina) was hitting sixes like he was picking up peanuts. This is a small ground but he was hitting sixes for time pass."
"We were waiting for three years, twice we made it to the finals, but it's sad when you lose the finals," says Jadeja.
"There was a bit of nervousness but it is important because it helps you keep your feet on the ground," says Mohit Sharma
"It was turning a pitch. Suresh's innings was world-class. He showed why he is one of the best T20 batsman in the world," says Brendon McCullum.
"I thought it was a good score. We saw the ball turning. But Suresh Raina, take a bow," says Faf du Plessis.
"For me it's a brilliant change from Mumbai," says Dwayne Smith, who was part of the winning Mumbai Indians team last year. "This has been the best team i have been part of. Everytime someone fails, someone else picks up."
As easy as you like. KKR were not given a whiff during the chase. Suresh Raina came in early but played with the freedom that he often displays in this format. His third T20 century meant CSK maintained control throughout the chase. KKR needed a big effort from their bowling attack after the loss of Narine, but Raina did not allow anyone to settle, dismantling their spin attack with precision hits down the ground. There were as many as eight sixes from him.. most of them looked like they were being hit in the backyard.. such was the ease. The target was not an easy one but they converted into a stroll in the park.
Jay: "Poor Pawan. He bowls a dream spell against some relly good hitters such as Yusuf and yet Raina's blinder will be the one that will be highlighted. Hopefully Pawan gets the MoM, which he truly is."
Gaurav Manchand: "Every time Gambhir plays a big innings in the final, someone shadows him out."
Suresh Raina's 62-ball 109 helped Chennai Super Kings easily overturn Kolkata Knight Riders by eight wickets in the Champions League Twenty20 final played in Bangalore on Saturday.
Kolkata Knight Riders captain Gautam Gambhir is confident Sunil Narine will return a "better bowler and a stronger individual"
Plays of the day from the Champions League T20 final between Chennai Super Kings and Kolkata Knight Riders
Suresh Raina said he had to make sure he stayed till the last over because if one wicket fell, the pressure would have been on the new batsman
Suresh Raina bossed a Kolkata Knight Riders attack without the banned Sunil Narine for his third T20 century to lead Chennai Super Kings to their second Champions League T20 title