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Matthew Hayden may have been a mere shadow of himself throughout the third edition of the IPL and his 31-ball 17 might have completely slowed down Chennai Super Kings's progress at the start of their innings on Sunday. But none of that will be held against the former Australian opener at the end of the day. As when Hayden bent down low on the final ball of the 19th over of the Mumbai Indians's innings at a strategically placed straight mid-off and held onto a powerful blow off Kieron Pollard's bat, he had for all practical purposes ensured that Chennai would be the champions of Indian Premier League's third edition.
Pollard had single-handedly brought Mumbai Indians back from the deadafter they had made a mess of chasing down their target of 16 smashing 27 in 10 balls with two sixes and three fours. But as the IPL's costliest acquisition stomped off the field after being caught by Hayden, leading to unrestrained celebrations in the Chennai camp, it was clear that Mumbai's dream-run had ended in disaster.
Redemption song
It was less than two years ago that Mahendra Singh Dhoni & Co had fallen at the last hurdle at the same venue against Rajasthan Royals. But this time around, their night was to end in glory, as Chennai sealed a 22-run victory and along with it the IPL III title. As the two teams descended upon the DY Patil Stadium earlier in the day, the only question on everybody's lips and across various SMS and telephone conversations was whether Sachin Tendulkar's right-hand injury had healed enough for him to take the field for the final.
While loud cheers greeted the Mumbai skipper as he walked out towards the practice nets, relief soon turned to anxiety as he exchanged a couple of left-handed handshakes.
Although the noise in the packed stadium did reach a crescendo when Tendulkar stood alongside Dhoni for the toss following the closing ceremony which included only local acts this time it proved to be a relatively quiet night for the home fans thereafter, as Chennai played party-poopers to perfection.
While Chennai did get off to a slow start, the game really changed in a space of two overs, as the Mumbai fielders ensured that Suresh Raina's stay at the crease was prolonged. And the in-form left-hander duly made them pay, remaining unbeaten on a 35-ball 57, which included three sixestwo of which came in the same Pollard over in which he was dropped.
Though Tendulkar did play a large-hand in keeping the Mumbai hopes alive with 45-ball 48, no support from the middle-order and a strange decision to bat Pollard at No. 8 ensured that Mumbai's chase drifted away.
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