CRICKET

Champions League Twenty20 2014

Raina's Maiden CLT20 Ton Powers Chennai's Dominating Victory in Final

 Raina century leads Chennai Super Kings to title

• Kolkata Knight Riders Ball by Ball Commentary
• 2nd Innings Chennai Super Kings 185/2 Commentary ball by ball
• Chennai Super Kings: 185/2 (18.3) Scorecard
• Kolkata Knight Riders: 180/6 (20) Scorecard

CLT20 WINNING MOMENTS ON FINAL (Bangaluru)

• Victorious CSK captain, MS Dhoni: Overall, it was a fantastic game for us. To start off, it was a good toss to win. Since it was an hour early start, our spinners could grip the ball well before the dew settled in. Where we mistake was we did not start off well. It was not the bowling but some silly misfields. We have some good players of spin and Raina showed that tonight. I think Gautam batted really well for them and because of him, our left-arm spinners were not able to put pressure on their batsmen. But once he departed, the bowlers did well. You may have an opposition where one person plays well and takes the game away from you. We had a couple of years where we were not winning finals but still were competitive. We made a few errors in the last two years, wherein, we were not able to get good starts. Today, Raina ensured that we get a good start. In the IPL, he played well but he got run out in the semi-final against Kings XI Punjab. This is a good opportunity for Kuldeep, as he got to spend time in the middle with experienced players. You do not get such opportunities where legends from different countries are in the same dressing room.

  
  
• Gautam Gambhir, KKR skipper: All of us should be proud of each other, the way we fought till the end. This is not the end of the world. Winning 14 games in a row is no mean feat and the guys have played really well. Feel that this team will get even better in the coming season. Thought that 180 was defendable on this track but the spinners were not able to grip the ball due to the dew. We have got a great depth in our squad who show great characters. Wish Kuldeep all the best after he has been selected in the Indian ODI squad.

  
  
• Suresh Raina, Man Of The Series: Specially, when you play in such situations, you need a special knock. I think my partnership with McCullum was crucial. I had played Yusuf and Piyush before. I was thinking to play careful cricket, to play till the end, because if a wicket falls, that would have put pressure on the team. I am very happy for CSK. They have been playing well but we have not won any trophy since 2011. Definitely McCullum is a great player, even on the field. Even the others, Faf, Smith, we are a good bunch of players. I really enjoy playing on this ground.

• Okay Cape Cobras get an award for being the best team on the field - The Fair Play Award. Suresh Raina gets the award for hitting the most number of sixes in the tournament - 16. Suresh Raina also gets the Golden Bat award while Sunil Narine is the recipient of the Golden Wicket.

  
  
• In a game dominated by batsmen, the Man of the Match is - Pawan Negi: Really enjoyed bowling well tonight. Thought of slowing the pace of the ball as the pitch was looking good for batsmen. The captain just told me to keep doing what I was doing till then. It was a big pressure game, the final, my aim was to give 100 percent.

  
  
• Suresh Raina gets an award for hitting the most number of sixes in the game.
• Kolkata managed to win every game till the final but apart from the semi-final, one cannot say that they played like champions. They managed to win every game coming from behind with someone or the other putting his hand up. Tonight, they missed someone who could have controlled the bowling innings. Kuldeep and Chawla were brilliant throughout this tournament but failed when it mattered.