Thursday, Dec 02, 2021
Chennai Super Kings easily defended their 192/3 as Kolkata Knight Riders suffered a batting collapse after a solid start to lose by 27 runs. Highlights of CSK vs KKR IPL 2021 final here.
Published: 15 Oct 2021, Updated: 16 Oct 2021 12:13 am
Chennai Super Kings
Kolkata Knight Riders
Chennai Super Kings win by 27 runs
MS Dhoni's Chennai Super Kings are the IPL champions again. The so-called 'Dad's Army' have done it in style against a rejuvenated Kolkata Knight Riders side in the UAE, where only months ago, they endured their worst ever season in the world's toughest cricket league. First, Ruturaj Gaikwad (32 off 27), Faf du Plessis (86 off 59), Robin Uthappa (31 off 15) and Moeen Ali (37 off 20) played some fascinating knocks to help post a big total of 192/3, then Dhoni marshaled his bowlers to restrict Eoin Morgan's KKR to 165/9. Shardul Thakur (3/38) led the attack even as Josh Hazlewood and Ravindra Jadeja chipped in with a couple of wickets each. For KKR, opener Shubman Gill (51 off 43) and Venkatesh Iyer (50 off 32) gave a rousing start to the chase, but the next six batsmen couldn't manage to post double-digit scores as the chase collapsed without a clue. CSK previously won the title in 2010, 2011 and 2018. They were also the finalists in 2008, 2012, 2013, 2015 and 2019. KKR won it in 2012 and 2014.
Dwayne Bravo on with the last over. A dot to Shivam Mavi. Then two singles. Another dot Mavi. Nothing much happening. A forlorn Eoin Morgan looks on as Mavi holes out at mid-wicket boundary. Catch taken by Deepak Chahar. Mavi goes for 20 off 13. Varun Chakaravarthy is the last man. A single and a 27-run win for Chennai Super Kings. 4th title for MS Dhoni's men. KKR - 165/9 (20); CSK - 192/3 (20)
Shardul Thakur with the penultimate over. A dot to Shivam Mavi, then a wide. A single, and a dot. A no ball for height, and four. Also a free hit. Wide, and needs to re-bowl it. Another wide.
Dhoni is not happy, visibly. Lockie Ferguson hits it to long off, but a diving Ruturaj Gaikwad saves two. A six off the fifth over the mid-wicket boundary. Already nine deliveries. A dot to end the over. 17 from it. Thakur's figures: 3/38. Kolkata need 31 in 6. CSK - 162/8 (19)
Dwayne Bravo returns for his third over. A swing from Shivam Mavi, and a four to third man off the third ball. And a six, same area. And another, this time over fine leg. A single and 18 from the over. Kolkata need 48 in 12. KKR - 145/8 (18)
Josh Hazlewood returns for his final over. And two dots to Eoin Morgan. Then, the end of Morgan, and effectively the end of Kolkata Knight Riders. A juggling catch by Deepak Chahar at square leg boundary. Morgan goes for four off eight. Shivam Mavi joins Lockie Ferguson in the middle. The asking rate is almost 20 now. Two runs and a wicket from the over. Kolkata need 66 in 18. KKR - 127/8 (17)
Rahul Tripathi, who was injured while fielding, joins Eoin Morgan in the middle. He is having trouble taking quick runs. And he finds Moeen Ali at long on. He goes for two off three. Third wicket for Shardul Thakur. Lockie Ferguson is the new man. Five from the over. Kolkata need 68 in 24. KKR - 125/7 (16)
Ravindra Jadeja on with last over. Dinesh Karthik's poor season drags on. Caught by Ambati Rayudu. He goes for nine off 7. Shakib Al Hasan is the new man. He survives a stumping, but not the LBW. Shakib goes for a duck. Three runs and two wickets in the over. Kolkata need 73 in 30. 32 runs and six wickets in the last five overs. KKR - 120/6 (15)
Deepak Chahar returns for his final over. And he traps Shubman Gill (51 off 43) in front. Plumb. Dinesh Karthik joins Eoin Morgan in the middle. And he hits the first ball for a six, over long leg. Nine runs and a wicket from the over. Chahar's figures: 1/32. Kolkata need 76 in 36. KKR - 117/4 (14)
Ravindra Jadeja on with his third over. A huge shout for caught behind from MS Dhoni as the ball drifts down the leg. And the next ball, Shubman Gill hits a four to extra cover for his fifty, in 40 balls. Nine from the over. Kolkata need 85 in 42. KKR - 108/3 (13)
Eoin Morgan joins Shubman Gill in the middle. Six runs and a wicket from the over. Kolkata need 94 off 48. KKR - 99/3 (12)
Josh Hazlewood returns and strikes. New man Sunil Narine comes and goes for 2 off 2. Ravindra Jadeja takes the catch at deep, and mighty close one. Foot almost touching the rope. KKR - 97/3 (11.3)
Shardul Thakur returns for his second over. This time no Spidercam to disturb. Venkatesh Iyer lofts the fourth ball and Ravinder Jadeja takes a very good catch at extra cover. Iyer goes for 50 off 32. Nitish Rana is the new man. But he goes for a first-ball duck. Five runs and two wickets. Simple catch for Faf du Plessis at mid wicket. KKR - 93/2 (11)
Ravindra Jadeja continues. A six, over square leg boundary, off the first ball. A single to short third man and fifty for Iyer, in 31 balls. Five fours and three sixes. His fourth. And wicket. A skier. Ambati Rayudu takes a very good catch, running in from the boundary. Gill goes for 27 off 26. Strange. Checking for a no-ball, and the third umpire realises that the ball hit the spidy cam. It's a dead ball. And a dot ball. Then, a four to backward point. Then, another one, this time to the mid-wicket boundary. 16 from the over. Kolkata need 105 in 60. KKR - 88/0 (10)
Dwayne Bravo continues. And another tidy one. Four singles. 36 runs in the last five overs. KKR - 72/0 (9)
Finally spin. Ravindra Jadeja on with his first over. Four singles, then a massive six, over long on boundary as Venkatesh Iyer reaches 41 in 25. Nine from the over. KKR - 68/0 (8)
Dwayne Bravo into the attack. A terrific over. Four runs from it - two singles and a double. KKR - 59/0 (7)
Change of ends of Deepak Chahar. The pacer returns for his third over. After three quiet balls, Shubman Gill makes room and launches the fourth over the infield for a four. And a mix-up. Gill, is lucky, again. A direct hit at the non-strikers' end, he's a goner. Also an overthrow, for a single. Eight from the over. KKR - 55/0 (6)
No spin yet. MS Dhoni employs Shardul Thakur. A dot to Shubman Gill, then a double to midwicket. A dot, then a single. A thick egde and the ball beats a leaping MS Dhoni. Four behind the wicket. Iyer is living a blessed life. Then, a four through leg slip. 11 from the over. KKR - 47/0 (5)
Josh Hazlewood continues. A wide, then another drop at cover by Shardul Thakur and it goes for a four. This time Shubman Gill, the benefactor. Venkatesh Iyer hits the third ball for a four, through cover. Two dots, and a double to end the over. 12 from it. KKR - 36/0 (4)
Deepak Chahar continues. A single, then a dot. A crunchy cover drive from Venkatesh Iyer beats the fielder for a four. A dot and a four to though extra cover. Timing. Nine from the over. KKR - 24/0 (3)
Josh Hazlewood shares the new ball. A jumpy MS Dhoni drops Venkatesh Iyer off the third ball. A rare sight. Life for Iyer. And a six over fine leg. Then, rubbing salt into the wound. Just like what happened with Faf du Plessis in the first innings. Eight off the over. Dhoni signals that the ball's wobbling. KKR - 15/0 (2)
A wide, then a four to mid-wicket boundary as Shubman Gill drills through. Four dots, and a single to end the over. Six from the over.
Shubman Gill takes the strike. Venkatesh Iyer is his opening partner. Deepak Chahar with the new ball. Target for KKR - 193.
But CSK bowlers will be aware of the fact that KKR can chase. Morgan & Co have chased down 180+ targets twice in finals, including 191 against CSK in 2012. And there was that 200 against RCB in 2014.
Not quite what Shane Watson did in 2018 final, but Faf du Plessis has given CSK a very good chance to clinch another IPL title. His 59-ball knock witnessed three 60-plus stands, 61 in 50 with Ruturaj Gaikwad, 63 in 32 with Robin Uthappa and 68 in 39 with Moeen Ali. Eoin Morgan used six bowlers and none managed to make an impression, except Sunil Narine who took two wickets. Lockie Ferguson leaked 56.
Shivam Mavi with the last over. A single, then double as Faf du Plessis plays it to mid-wicket. Two singles, then a lethargic Eoin Morgan at mid off allows Faf to steal a second. Mavi then gets the wicket. Faf (86 off 59) holes out at deep, caught by Venkatesh Iyer. A stand of 68 off 39. Mavi's figures: 1/32. 61 runs in the last five overs. CSK - 192/3
Varun Chakaravarthy on with his last over. Moeen Ali hits the second for a four, and fifty-run stand for the third-wicket (52 off 29). A thick edge lands in front of the third man as Ali escapes. The England all-rounder then launches another, his third six, straight. A single to end the over. 13 from the over. Ali was 2 off 6. He's now 35 off 18. Faf du Plessis is 81 off 55. Chakaravarthy's figures: 0/38. CSK - 185/2 (19)
Lockie Ferguson on with his final over. Moeen Ali dismisses the third ball for a four, through cover. Faf du Plessis hits the fifth ball for a six, then a four to make it a 19-run over. Probably, Ferguson's worst figures. 0/56. 56 runs in the last five overs. CSK - 172/2 (18)
Shivam Mavi on with his third over. First boundary for Moeen Ali. A six over mid-wicket boundary. Eoin Morgan is running out of ideas. Mavi responds with a well-executed yorker. A single to long off, off the third. And change in the field setting. Long leg drops back and square leg closes in. A dot. A single to long on as Faf rotates the strike. Ali finishes the over with a straight six. 14 from the over. CSK - 153/2 (17)
Lockie Ferguson returns for his third over. Faf du Plessis hits the first ball for a four, then a couple. A dot, then a single. Another dot and single as Moeen Ali struggles to time his shots. Eight from the over. Ferguson is leaking runs today. 37 without success so far. CSK - 139/2 (16)
Venkatesh Iyer gets his first over. Six from it. 51 runs and one wicket in the last five overs. CSK - 131/2 (15)
Moeen Ali joins Faf du Plessis in the middle. Nine runs and a wicket from Sunil Narine's final over. His figures: 2/26. CSK - 125/2 (14)
Sunil Narine gets his second. Traps Robin Uthappa (31 off 15), who just hit a six, in front. Review wasted. And with that the 63-run stand in 32 balls comes to an end. CSK 124/2 (13.3)
Varun Chakaravarthy on with his third over. A double, then a six as Robin Uthappa launches it over long off. And 50-run stand for the second wicket in 25 balls. 12 from the over. CSK - 116/1 (13)
Sunil Narine returns for his third over. Two doubles and three singles from it. And hundred up for Chennai. CSK - 104/1 (12)
Lockie Ferguson on with his second over. Faf du Plessis hits the second and third balls for fours, then finishes off with a six, over long off. 17 from the over. And fifty for the former South Africa captain, in 35 balls. CSK - 97/1 (11)
Shakib Al Hasan returns for his third over. Robin Uthappa hits the fourth and sixth balls for sixes. 15 from the over. 38 runs in the last five overs. CSK - 80/1 (10)
Robin Uthappa joins Faf du Plessis in the middle. A wicket and four singles from Sunil Narine's second over. CSK - 65/1 (9)
Sunil Narine strikes. Ruturaj Gaikwad holes out at long off for 32 off 27, caught by Shivam Mavi. CSK - 61/1 (8.1)
Varun Chakaravarthy continues. And a measure of control from the KKR spinner. Five singles from the over. KKR - 61/0 (8)
Sunil Narine, the fifth bowler used by KKR captain Eoin Morgan tonight. Six singles from the over. CSK - 56/0 (7)
Varun Chakaravarthy on with his first over. Tidy until the fifth ball. A front-foot no-ball from the mystery spinner, and Faf du Plessis lofts the free-hit delivery over the bowler's head for a four. Eight from the over. CSK - 50/0 (6)
Shivam Mavi continues. Faf du Plessis hits the fifth ball for a four, over a leaping mid-on fielder. Meanwhile, Ruturaj Gaikwad has overtaken KL Rahul (626) as the leading scorer of the season. CSK - 42/0 (6)
Lockie Ferguson gets his first over. Faf du Plessis takes a double off the first, then a tight single. Eoin Morgan misses the target at the striker's end by a whisker. Ruturaj Gaikwad survives. Faf hits the fifth ball for a four, through cover. 12 from the over. CSK - 34/0 (4)
Ruturaj Gaikwad diving for dear life. Photo - BCCI-IPL
Shakib Al Hasan continues. Dinesh Karthik misses a stumping chance against Faf du Plessis, and results in one bye. Ruturaj Gaikwad hits the second and third for a four and six. Rubbing salt to the wound. And with that, 700 run partnership for the CSK openers this season. 13 from the over. CSK - 22/0 (3)
Shivam Mavi shares the new ball. Three from his first over, a single and a double. CSK - 9/0 (2)
Ruturaj Gaikwad takes a single off the first ball, then a dot. Faf du Plessis also takes a single off the first ball he faced. Then a four off the four. Shakib Al Hasan leaks six in the first over.
Ruturaj Gaikwad to take the first strike. Faf du Plessis is his opening partner. Shakib Al Hasan with the new ball.
KKR have won their last six games chasing. And CSK's five defeats this season have come batting first. MS Dhoni is playing his 300th T20 game as captain.
Here are the playing XIs. Chennai Super Kings are also unchanged. Two confident sides, for sure.
Chennai Super Kings: Ruturaj Gaikwad, Faf du Plessis, Robin Uthappa, Moeen Ali, Ambati Rayudu, MS Dhoni (c & wk), Ravindra Jadeja, Dwayne Bravo, Shardul Thakur, Deepak Chahar, Josh Hazlewood.
Kolkata Knight Riders: Shubman Gill, Venkatesh Iyer, Nitish Rana, Rahul Tripathi, Dinesh Karthik (wk), Eoin Morgan (c), Shakib Al Hasan, Sunil Narine, Lockie Ferguson, Shivam Mavi, Varun Chakaravarthy.
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