The Great IPL Extravaganza: Rajasthan Royals beat Chennai Super Kings to win the Trophy

The great IPL Extravaganza finally came to an end with the Rajasthan Royals lifting the inaugural IPL trophy at the D Y Patil stadium in Navi Mumbai. Rajasthan Royals led by Shane Warne beat M S Dhoni's Chennai Super Kings by 3 wickets in an exciting final to win the coveted trophy. It was Yusuf Pathan's all-round performance that won the match and trophy for the Royals.

The 45-day long much-hyped Indian Premier League (IPL) featured 57 foreign cricketers and 60-odd Indian cricketers who played for eight different teams. While everyone expected Rajasthan Royals to reach the grand finale, as they topped the point table, Chennai Super Kings caused a major upset in the semi-final against strong contender Kings XI Punjab. However, in the final, Rajasthan Royals reigned supreme.

Rajasthan Royals won the toss and elected to field first. The Chennai Super Kings began their innings on a positive note with an opening stand of 39. They continued to build their innings, thanks to Parthiv Patel, Suresh Raina and Dhoni. Parthiv Patel scored 38, while Raina scored 43. Dhoni remained unbeaten on 29, as Chennai Super Kings posted a competitive total of 163/5 in 20 overs. For Royals, Yusuf Pathan took 3 wickets.

The victory target was not easy on this slow and new wicket, but Rajasthan Royals began their run chase on a disastrous note. They were contained by Ntini and Gony. The ball was not coming to the bat easily and batsmen looked frustrated.But Asnodkar batted well, but fell at 28. At one stage, Royals were 45/3. However, Yusuf Pathan and Shane Watson steadied the innings. Watson was out for 28.

Pathan, dropped twice at 13 and 33, went on to score his 4th IPL fifty and was out for 56. The target looked tough when Pathan departed. But Shane Warne and Sohail Tanvir held their nerves and saw the team through. The Rajasthan Royals reached the target on the last ball of the match. For Super Kings, Morkel and Muralitharan took 2 wickets each. The winning team received a cheque worth Rs. 4.8 crore, while the losing team received a cheque worth Rs. 2.4 crore.

Here's the list of Awards:

Winner - Rajasthan Royals

Runners Up - Chennai Super Kings
Man of the Match - Yusuf Pathan

Man of the Series - Shane Watson (472 runs and 17 wickets)

Orange Cap Award - Shaun Marsh (616 runs)

Purple Cap Award - Sohail Tanvir (22 wickets)

CITI U-19 Success of the IPL - S Goswami
FLY Kingfisher Fair Play Trophy - Chennai Super Kings