Chris Gayle may be the most awe-inspiringly consistent batsman in the IPL but through the first five seasons of the IPL, no batsman has been more prolific than Suresh Raina, the all-time leading run accumulator in the league with 2,254 runs. The southpaw has also been the most consistent scorer in the crunch matches, a 38-ball blitzkrieg in the final on Sunday further proof of his IPL big-match abilities. 

Over the past four seasons, he’s played many pivotal innings for CSK. But the past 12 months, however, have been odd for Raina. Not just his Test spot, even a place in the ODIs seemed under threat.

Not very special
This IPL season wasn’t very productive. He failed to strike a fifty and was fading from public consciousness. On Sunday, the 25-year-old served a timely reminder to critics. His 73 included five sixes.

Not just that, he handled the rising ball from Lee and Kallis well. He even picked Sunil Narine's mystery spin and heaved it into the stands.