Suresh Raina fires unbeaten ton to help Chennai Super Kings win CLT20 cup

Indian batsman Suresh Raina fired away a blistering ton to power Chennai Super Kings to the Champions League Twenty20 (CLT20) title in Bangalore. Raina smashed an unbeaten 109 from 62 balls as Chennai easily chased down fellow Indian team Kolkata Knight Riders' tally of 180-6, for the loss of just two wickets and with nine balls to spare.

New Zealand captain Brendon McCullum played his part in the win, blasting 39 from 30 balls to get Chennai off to a rollicking start in their quest to overhaul the KKR's challenging target, Stuff.co.nz reported. McCullum hit a six and four fours in his 30-ball stay but he was happy to let Raina be the dominant partner. The pair put on 118 runs for the second wicket in 12.2 overs with McCullum contributing just 38 of those runs, as he handed Raina the strike whenever he could.

After McCullum fell, India captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni, 23 not out, joined Raina and took Chennai through to a comfortable win.

Raina hit eight sixes and four fours in the brutal assault, with none of the Kolkata bowlers escaping punishment. He was named player of the tournament but his batting blitz wasn't enough to get him the man of the match award in the final, which went to Pawan Negi. The left arm spinner claimed a rare five-for in Kolkata's innings, scalping three wickets in his final over to stymie KKR's late momentum and end with a figure of 5 for 22 from four overs.

McCullum also featured in the field with two catches, including one to dismiss Gautam Gambhir, who threatened to lift Kolkata over the 200-mark before McCullum snaffled the catch to dismiss him for 80 off just 52 balls, the report added.