Mumbai Indians wrapped up their first Indian Premier League title with a 23-run win over Chennai Super Kings on Sunday.
After a poor start, Mumbai fought back at Eden Gardens to set Chennai a target of 149 which they successfully defended thanks to an excellent bowling display.
Kieron Pollard was Mumbai's hero with the bat, as he hit an unbeaten 60 to inspire their innings recovery and put them on their way to a result which means that Super Kings have now lost three of the five IPL finals they have reached since the competition began in 2008.
Mumbai made the worst possible start, with Dwayne Smith trapped lbw with the fourth ball of the innings by Mohit Sharma, before Morne Morkel collected the scalp of Aditya Tare three balls later.
Just eight more runs were added when Mumbai captain Rohit Sharma was caught and bowled by Morkel to leave them struggling at 3-16.
However things soon began to turn when Ambati Rayudu came to crease, as he put together a fourth-wicket partnership of 36 with Dinesh Karthik, before the latter was dismissed by Chris Morris.
Rayudu found another willing partner in Pollard however, as he scored 32 in a stand of 48.
Dwayne Bravo struck to end Rayudu's innings in the 16th over with Mumbai at the century mark, but the revival continued as Harbhajan Singh scored a quick 14 to take the total to 125 before Bravo accounted for his wicket.
Singh's exit sparked another flurry of wickets, Rishi Dhawan, Mitchell Johnson and Lasith Malinga all falling in relatively quick order to leave Mumbai in a unfavourable position. However, Pollard improved matters with two sixes to end a very mixed innings.
Super Kings' run chase started in woeful fashion, IPL leading run scorer Mike Hussey was bowled for just one run by Malinga with the fourth delivery of the innings, before Suresh Raina succumbed to a similar fate, caught by Smith at square-leg with the very next ball.
Subramaniam Badrinath fell to Johnson in the next over to leave Chennai teetering on the brink of disaster at 3-3.
Bravo and Murali Vijay steadied the ship somewhat with a stand of 32, but it proved to be only brief respite as West Indian Bravo and Ravindra Jadeja were dismissed in consecutive overs by Dhawan and Singh respectively.
Vijay became Johnson's third victim in the next over to leave victory looking a near-impossible task at 6-39.
MS Dhoni showed greater resistance at the crease but the wickets continued to tumble, Morkel bowled by Pragyan Ojha and Morris caught behind by Karthik off the bowling of Singh as the eighth wicket went down with Chennai having notched just 58 runs.
Dhoni refused to lie down, though, and his 37-run partnership of with Ravichandran Ashwin gave Super Kings some hope of a miraculous win.
Ashwin contributed just nine runs to that stand before he was caught out at midwicket after chipping at a Pollard delivery, leaving Mumbai needing just one wicket to secure triumph.
That wicket never came, but it mattered not and, despite Dhoni adding another 23 runs, Mumbai's victory was never in doubt as they eased through the final few overs with little problem to ensure success and spark rapturous celebrations on the field and in the stands.