Mahendra Singh Dhoni played his part to perfection in an extraordinary script as he led Chennai Super Kings to their fourth Indian Premier League title, outwitting Kolkata Knight Riders by 27 runs in a one-sided final on Friday. As the final delivery was bowled, the old ‘Band Master’ had that lingering smile at the far corner of his lips having orchestrated his ‘Men’, who knows may be one last time.

Unarguably, the most loved and revered Indian captain of all time led a team of old warhorses with oodles of experience as they first posted a formidable target of 192 for three and then squeezed Knights for only 165 for nine despite a promising opening stand of 91 between Shubman Gill (51 off 43 balls) and Venkatesh Iyer (50 off 32 balls). It was canny captaincy that ensured 91 for no loss turned into 125 for eight and before one realised, it seemed there was only one team on the park.