Sambit steals the crown

In a come-from-behind to rival that of Deccan Chargers on finals day, Sambit Bal has taken the Star Wars title for the season from Ian Chappell, who led for much of the tournament. It was a resounding victory - Sambit pipped Ian to the post by a comfortable margin of 284 points.

It was a day when nothing went right for Ian. His trump, Adam Gilchrist, failed to repeat his semi-final heroics and went for a duck. And this played a key role in Ian's defeat. His other picks who weren't in Sambit's team, Virat Kohli and Manish Pandey - Man of the Match in the last two games Bangalore played - netted just 41 points between them. On the other hand, Sambit seemed to have developed the Midas touch - all his picks fired. He brought in Herschelle Gibbs for the final, who fetched him 92; Andrew Symonds, his trump, netted a whopping 250; and the masterstroke was Anil Kumble, who sealed the deal with 211.

Sambit is understandably chuffed with his victory. "It turned out to be the perfect finish for me. It started with a duck for Gilchrist, who was Ian's trump. It helped that the bowler was Kumble, who was not in Ian's team. Andrew Symonds was my trump and he gave me some vital points. I had Gibbs too, and Ian didn't. And Kumble capped it off with four wickets.

"It's been quite a fight, and I'll allow myself to enjoy the win. And why not? This is the only game I'll ever beat Ian Chappell at."

Meanwhile Ian was gracious in defeat. "Congratulations to Sambit. He was like a terrier - I still have the teeth marks in my trousers. He was prepared to gamble in the final match and it paid handsome dividends. I've really enjoyed the experience of Star Wars and look forward to another contest at a later date."

Sanjay Manjrekar finishes at No. 3 with 9834 and David Lloyd at No. 4 with 7228.