Chennai star Murali Vijay spells out team's success mantra

"The good thing in our team is the positive spirit. We never gave up when we were down and out. We always believed in our abilities and backed ourselves to the hilt," the right-handed opener added.

Chennai were also helped on their way by some sloppy Mumbai catching that saw Suresh Raina being dropped twice. The left-hander went on to make an unbeaten 57 off 35 balls that helped Chennai post a biggish total.

Crucial innings
"Raina's innings was very crucial for us. He was the man in form and he batted really well. That helped us to a total we knew we could defend. But overall, it was also a fantastic team effort. Everyone played their part and it's a fantastic feeling to have won the final after a tough campaign," said Vijay, the second-highest run-getter for the side after Raina with 458 runs from 15 games at an average of 35.23 that included a whirlwind 127.

Mumbai Indians' decision to hold back Kieron Pollard meant the burly West Indian had too much to do in too little time. But Vijay felt that the team was always wary of Pollard's abilities.

"He can hit the ball a long way and he did score runs quickly in one over. I think we did a good job in dismissing him as he was looking very dangerous," Vijay said adding that the win over Punjab in the final league game gave them a lot belief.

"Winning that game helped us a lot mentally. We realised that we have the ability to win a match from any situation. It was a big help when we approached the semi-final and the final," Vijay said.

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