Yusuf Pathan's phenomenal all-round act helped Rajasthan Royals win the Indian Premier League 2008 in a thrilling last-ball finish against Chennai Super Kings.

After an absorbing 44-day period, the outcome of the tournament was fittingly decided off the last possible ball, as Rajasthan chased 164. You couldn't chose between two teams in a last-ball finish. MS Dhoni had had a phenomenal run in these last over finishes but his luck ran out on Sunday night at Navi Mumbai's DY Patil Stadium.

With one run needed off the last ball, on strike was Sohail Tanvir, Rajasthan's best bowler in the IPL, and his captain Shane Warne. Laxmipathy Balaji had the ball; he banged it in and Tanvir pulled it past mid-on for four. The Royals, who were everyone's underdogs in the beginning, won by three wickets to wrap up a remarkable campaign.

Yusuf Pathan the hero

In what must be one of the finest all-round performances in recent times, Pathan turned the match on its head twice --- first with the ball, then with the bat.

Chennai were off to an assuring start. Parthiv Patel and S. Vidyut added 39 for the first wicket when Pathan struck. In fact, he went on to take the first three wickets, bowling his stump-to-stump spin.

Then, with Rajasthan under the burner at 42-3 Pathan struck a characteristically brutal 56 (39 balls, 3 fours, 4 sixes) to bring his team at the doorsteps of a famous win. When Yusuf was run out by a blinding direct hit from point by Suresh Raina, the Royals needed 21 from 14 balls.

Many contested Warne's decision to bat second in a big game. But Warne stuck to his instincts which had worked rather well in the tournament. At 42-3 it seemed Warne had blundered when it really mattered.

Here, Shane Watson joined Pathan to put the innings back on track. Watson made 28 (19 balls, 3x4) but more importantly, he added 65 precious runs with Pathan, who had begun dealing in big sixes at the other end.

Watson was yorked by Muralitharan going out for a big hit. Mohammad Kaif, who has had a very ordinary series, made 12 in quick time before Murali defeated him with a doosra. Next ball, Ravindra Jadeja played a horrendous pull than lobbed to mid on, and three balls later, Raina beat Pathan with the direct hit. It left the Royals in a wobbly spot all over again.

Tanvir joined his skipper Warne with 18 needed from 12 balls. Dhoni, normally everyone's Captain Cool, perhaps erred when he called Makhaya Ntini to bowl the penultimate over. It left Dhoni just Balaji --- his most expensive bowler on the night --- to bowl the last over. After Ntini conceded 6 from his first 5 balls, Warne managed to sneak a four past cover and wrest the advantage.

With eight needed from the last six, Balaji managed to hold his line and bring the equation down to six runs from three balls. He then bowled a wide and the batsmen scrambled a bye to bring it down to four from three. A single to Warne followed, followed by a clip to square leg for two to Tanvir. One needed from one and Tanvir coolly slapped a short ball past mid on.

Pathan walked away with the man of the match in the final game while Watson is the man of the series. Tanvir, for his 22 wickets, won the purple cap.

The orange cap for the highest scorer went to Shaun Marsh of Kings XI Punjab.

Warne's side received a cheque of USD 1.2 million, while the runners-up Chennai got half that amount.