CSK: Chennai Super Kings claimed their fourth Indian Premier League (IPL) title, beating the Kolkata Knight Riders by 27 runs in the 2021 final at Dubai International Stadium on Friday.
Chennai Super Kings won their fourth Indian Premier League (IPL) title and beat the Kolkata Knight Riders in the 2021 final at Dubai International Stadium on Friday with 27 runs. It was a magical return for MS Dhoni and his team, who, after finishing seventh last season, failed to make the playoffs for the first time.
Highlights
- Chennai Super Kings beat Kolkata Knight Riders by 27 runs in IPL final
- Chennai Super Kings clinched their fourth IPL title
- It was a fairytale comeback for CSK after finishing 7th last season
Fueled by a brilliant punch from Faf du Plessis, CSK scored 192 of three. Despite some happy breathing pauses, KKR achieved 165/9 in his 20 overs and thus fell far short of the target. Shardul Thakur was once again the man with CSK’s golden arm, striking twice in one to start the Kolkata team’s downfall.
Shardul landed with three terrains, while Ravindra Jadeja, attacked by Venkatesh Iyer, also took two terrains to send CSK on the road. Australian pacemaker Josh Hazlewood was brilliant that day too, taking 2 wickets for just 29 runs of his four overs.
The KKR chase got off to a happy start when MS Dhoni inexplicably dropped a babysitter in the second round to give Venkatesh Iyer a life preserver, who was zero at the time.
Iyer didn’t need a second chance as he hit CSK bowlers everywhere on the court.
Shubman Gill also made some good shots but was more cautious with both. Iyer, on the other hand, was a man on a mission. Over the course of his half-century, he broke three sixes and five four.
Then came one of the strangest moments of the IPL. Gill hit Jadeja hard, but he landed her shot, but the ball hit the Spidercam cable. Ambati Rayudu did exceptionally well to stay cool and complete the reception, but the referees declared the ball dead.
With Lady Luck on his side, KKR looked good to chase after the goal, but everything changed after a pass. Shardul struck in the eleventh over to eliminate dangerous Iyer first before Nitish Rana landed on a golden duck in the last ball of the same over.
Immediately afterward, Sunil Narine was sent off by Hazlewood for 2. Gill was reaching his half-century but fell shortly after when KKR suddenly dropped to 108 for 4 after hitting 91 without losing.
It only got worse for KKR when Dinesh Karthik, Shakib Al Hasan, and Rahul Tripathi fell in quick succession. It all depended on Captain Eoin Morgan, but the English captain was pathetically out of shape in the UAE and it showed.
Morgan stuttered 4 of 8 balls before being dumped by Hazlewood to nearly secure CSK the title. Shivam Mavi did put on some last-minute fireworks, but it was just a consolation as CSK picked comfortable winners.
Previously, CSK’s top players, Ruturaj Gaikwad and Faf du Plessis had got their team off to a good start. The duo managed a score of 61 runs before Sunil Narine captured Gaikwad for 32 of 27 balls.
Du Plessis and Robin Uthappa then teamed up and added 63 for the second wicket. Uthappa broke 31 balls out of just 15 when CSK stepped on the gas.
Despite losing Uthappa, Du Plessis held his ground even as Moeen Ali took time to get started.
After making his decision, the English SUV cut and crossed the border on three occasions in his shot of 37 and not 20 balls.
Du Plessis, who had reached his half-century with 35 balls, competed when he surpassed KL Rahul and became the second-highest entry-level player of the season, just behind his teammate Gaikwad.
In the end, Du Plessis fell on the last ball of the inning for a brilliant 86 of 59 balls.
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