Sohail Tanvir, fresh from confirming receipt of the Purple Cap for taking more wickets (22) than any other player in the Indian Premier League, hit the winning run from the final ball of the final to hand the Rajasthan Royals victory by three wickets over the Chennai Super Kings in Mumbai.
In a game which ebbed and flowed throughout and which neither team truly dominated, the Royals closed on 164 for seven in response to the Super Kings' 163 for five.
They had needed eight from the final over, which captain Shane Warne and Sohail Tanvir managed with Tanvir pulling Lakshmipathy Balaji for the winning single.
Yusuf Pathan, easily man of the match, had set up the victory charge, taking three wickets and scoring 56 from 39 deliveries, taking full of advantage of being dropped twice to hit four huge sixes.
He added a half-century partnership with Shane Watson (28) after early wickets had set the Royals back.
The Super Kings fought back well with Pathan well run out by Suresh Raina, who had given him a reprieve on 13 but any thoughts of victory were put on hold by Warne and Tanvir.
Earlier, 43 from Raina, 38 from Swapnil Asnodkar, and 29 not out from Mahendra Singh Dhoni were the main contributions in the Super Kings' innings of 163 for five.
They got off to a fine start before Yusuf Pathan, with his off-spin struck thrice in quick succession to put them on the back foot.
Raina was the key wicket; just as he was looking to accelerate, he was out, caught by Ravindra Jadeja off of Watson for 43 from 30 balls.
The early wickets from the Super Kings kept them in the game before Pathan and Watson wrested back the initiative. It looked as if the Chennai side would then fight back before they were made to pay for a tally of 11 extras, including six extra deliveries which gave the Royals the leeway they needed to squeeze home.
© Cricket World 2008
