Rajasthan Royals are IPL 2008 champs

Yusuf Pathan's phenomenal all-round act helped Rajasthan Royals win the Indian Premier League 2008 in a thrilling last-ball finish against Chennai Super Kings. After an absorbing 44-day period, the outcome of the tournament was fittingly decided off the last possible ball, as Rajasthan chased 164. You couldn't chose between two teams in a last-ball finish. MS Dhoni had had a phenomenal run in these last over finishes but his luck ran out on Sunday night at Navi Mumbai's DY Patil Stadium.

With one run needed off the last ball, on strike was Sohail Tanvir, Rajasthan's best bowler in the IPL, and his captain Shane Warne. Laxmipathy Balaji had the ball; he banged it in and Tanvir pulled it past mid-on for four. The Royals, who were everyone's underdogs in the beginning, won by three wickets to wrap up a remarkable campaign.

Yusuf Pathan the hero

In what must be one of the finest all-round performances in recent times, Pathan turned the match on its head twice --- first with the ball, then with the bat.

Chennai were off to an assuring start. Parthiv Patel and S. Vidyut added 39 for the first wicket when Pathan struck. In fact, he went on to take the first three wickets, bowling his stump-to-stump spin.

Then, with Rajasthan under the burner at 42-3 Pathan struck a characteristically brutal 56 (39 balls, 3 fours, 4 sixes) to bring his team at the doorsteps of a famous win. When Yusuf was run out by a blinding direct hit from point by Suresh Raina, the Royals needed 21 from 14 balls.

The Kapil Dev moment

A pivotal moment in the game was the introduction of Muttiah Muralitharan in the 11th over. Pathan was in unfamiliar territory, having to defend more than attack. But he tried to break free against Murali and mistimed his loft. The ball hung in the air and Raina ran back from midwicket to long on. He got to the ball, cupped it, let it slip, caught it again, and finally dropped it.

Twenty-five years ago, Kapil Dev had memorably hung on to a similar catch to turn another final on its head. After Raina's miss, Pathan went into overdrive and that, in the end, was the difference between the two sides.

After benefitting from that drop, Yusuf had two other chances --- both equally difficult. On 33, Manpreet Gony couldn't close his hands on a catch that came to him on his follow through. Later in the innings, Balaji dropped a similar catch off his bowling.

source : ndtv.com