Champions League: T20 Raina powers Super Kings to title

Suresh Raina scored 109 off just 62 balls

A swashbuckling 109 by Suresh Raina off just 62 balls was enough to see the Chennai Super Kings chase down a daunting 181-run target against Kolkata Knight Riders and claim their second Champions League Twenty20 title.

Mahendra Singh Dhoni won the toss and opted to bowl first as dew was expected to play a part later on in Bangalore. The Knight Riders were on a 14-match winning streak and were off to a solid start as openers Robin Uthappa and Gautam Gambhir added 91. A Yousuf Pathan cameo at the business end of the innings, making 20 off nine balls, helped propel the Kolkata side to 180 in their 20 overs.

In response, the Super Kings were pegged back early as Dwayne Smith was bowled by Pat Cummins in the first over, who was in the side to replace key spinner Sunil Narine.

However, it was all downhill from there for the Chennai side as Brendon McCullum and Raina added 118 in just 74 balls for the third wicket partnership. McCullum was finally dismissed by Pathan in the 14th over but Dhoni arrived on the crease to finish the match with aplomb, hitting 23 off 14 balls, including two sixes off Pathan in the 19th over to end proceedings.

Published in The Express Tribune, October 5^th, 2014.