Chennai Super Kings have been the most successful side in the Indian Premier League in recent years, winning it in 2010 and 2011 and being beaten finalists in 2012 and 2013.
It took an inspirational effort from their captain MS Dhoni to set up the start of this superb run of consistency.
Chennai’s initial 2010 campaign had been erratic and they had gone into their final league match with no room for error. Only victory would see them make the play-offs.
Things had not exactly gone to plan with the ball as Punjab had accumulated an imposing score of 192 for three in their 20 overs.
Chennai had been on the back foot from the start of their innings, losing early wickets, and they were left needing a difficult 29 off the final two overs.
Enter Dhoni, with his side’s hopes in the balance.
Two boundaries in the penultimate over helped to get the total down to 16 at the start of the final over with Dhoni retaining the strike.
Irfan Pathan stepped up to bowl the final six balls, the first of which Dhoni drove for a boundary.
He took two off the next to cut the requirement down to 10 off four.
That was as tense as it would get as Dhoni then smacked the next two balls over the long-on boundary for two sixes to secure victory with two balls to spare.
Dhoni’s heroics were the catalyst for his side to go on to a memorable title victory.
What is not as well remembered is how close they had come to exiting the tournament before he stepped up to lead by example.
gcaygill@thenational.ae
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