MS Dhoni led CSK to their fourth IPL crown.IPL 2021 Final, CSK vs KKR Highlights: Chennai Super Kings become IPL champions for fourth time, beating Kolkata Knight Riders by 27 runs in this season’s final in Dubai.
The in-form Faf du Plessis hit a magnificent 86 off 59 balls, laced with seven fours and three sixes, to help CSK post 192 for 3 after they were invited to bat.
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Chasing an imposing target of 193, KKR could manage 165 for 9 in their 20 overs with Shubman Gill and Venkatesh Iyer hitting 51 and 50 respectively.
From 91 for no loss in the 11th over, KKR slumped to 125 for 8 in the 17th over in a dramatic batting collapse to lose the final. For CSK, Shardul Thakur took three wickets while Ravindra Jadeja and Josh Hazlewood got two each.
Match EndedIndian Premier League, 2021 - Final
Chennai Super Kings
192/3 (20.0)vs
Kolkata Knight Riders
165/9 (20.0)Match Ended ( Day - Final )
Chennai Super Kings beat Kolkata Knight Riders by 27 runs
Chennai Super Kings beat Kolkata Knight Riders by 27 runs
Live Blog
The IPL final in Dubai on Friday is a contest between Chennai’s batsmen and Kolkata’s spinners. (File)
Harsha Bhogle asked Dhoni about his plans for next year. Dhoni smartly took the conversation to "It depends on BCCI with two new teams coming in." Harsha stopped him and said, no MS, it's between you and CSK. Dhoni then says "Well it's not about me playing for CSK, it's about what is best for CSK. The core group has carried the team for 10 years. No we need to see what is best. Harsha then asks him about the legacy he has left at CSK. Dhoni cheekily responds "Well, I still haven't left (smiles)."
He collects the winners cheque of INR 20 crore to Chennai Super Kings. "Before I start talking about CSK, it's important I talk about KKR. For the position they were in after the first phase, to perform this well, it's very difficult. If any team deserved to win the IPL this year, it is KKR for the way they have played. I think the break helped them. Yes we are most consistent team looking at the stats but we have also lost finals. Not letting the opposition in is something we conciously wanted to improve. I hope CSK in the coming years will be known for that. We don't really talk a lot. It's more one on one."
Most valuable player of the season: Harshal Patel
Orange cap: - Ruturaj Gaikwad - 635 runs in 16 games - 1 hundred, 4 fifties.
Purple cap: Harshal Patel - 32 wickets (joint highest ever in IPL with Dwayne Bravo) in 15 games, one 5-wicket haul, one 4-wicket haul.
Power player of the season: Venkatesh Iyer
Maximum Sixes: KL Rahul with 30 sixes
Game changer of the season: Harshal Patel
Super striker of the season: - Shimron Hetmyer - strike rate 168
Faf du Plessis | Player of the Match
Catch of the season: Ravi Bishnoi - for taking Narine's catch in Ahmedabad.
Fairplay award: Rajasthan Royals
Emerging player of the season: Ruturaj Gaikwad.
"It is top of the moon feeling to win the orange cap and win the IPL. It is very very satisfying to win the IPL. It feels great. We didn't have a great season. Coming here, everyone believed and we are here. When you are performing well, you are confident on your lesser risk shots. You need to make sure you are there till the end."
"That's the first thing I'm going to do when I turn on my phone - let Kieron Pollard know this is the 16th. He has some catching up to do. Belief in the squad from management, owners. After last season was really disappointed. Owed it to the franchise, the fans to come up with a better performance. Don't get nervous (coming into a final). Have had good performance in different phases of the tournament. Faf and Ruturaj standout for us. To have these two guys scoring over 500 runs together. Experience beats youth anyday. Going to change the name from Mr. Champion to Sir Champion (Jadeja standing next to him). *breaks into song along with Jadeja*
"CSK CSK” rang out the shouts in the stands in the final over of the chase. In the dug out, Robin Uthappa whose lovely cameo was a factor in CSK’s high score but who was off the field, hugged the assistant coach Eric Simons. Dhoni had a smile as his happy players converged on him. Even though the match was long-over, Dhoni, as ever, kept it simple, urging his players to do the basic stuff properly. Shardul Thakur really tested MS Dhoni’s patience in the 19th over. Particularly with a slower one that slipped out as a chest-high full toss and a no-ball of course. Dhoni gave a stare and gave out an angsty “C’mon!”. More than 40 runs were needed but Dhoni wasn’t resting on his laurels. Two more wides followed and Dhoni gathered both and sighed. Then a six came and he was now visibly upset and screamed out a few words. And when the final ball was a dot ball, a slower one that he collected, he waved his gloves as if to say, “just keep it simple like this’. Still not done, he followed Thakur who was trying to hide in the outfield and had more words to say.
Shardul Thakur really tested MS Dhoni’s patience in the 19th over. Particularly with a slower one that slipped out as a chest-high full toss and a no-ball of course. Dhoni gave a stare and gave out an angsty “C’mon!”. More than 40 runs were needed but Dhoni wasn’t resting on his laurels. Two more wides followed and Dhoni gathered both and sighed. Then a six came and he was now visibly upset and screamed out a few words. And when the final ball was a dot ball, a slower one that he collected, he waved his gloves as if to say, “just keep it simple like this’. Still not done, he followed Thakur who was trying to hide in the outfield and had more words to say.
Who else but Bravo to bowl the last over. He has been exceptional with the ball tonight. Hasn't got a wicket but has been tremendously economical. And he now gets his wicket. KKR are 9 down. Can they finish it off in style and finish them off? And that is it. CSK have got their fourth IPL title as KKR finish at 165/9, ending their winning streak in IPL finals.
Thakur to bowl his last over. It's an impossible target to win this match. Might as well narrow the margin by which they lose. A four and a free hit now. And another wide. And another. Look at these extras piling up. A 6 to finish this over. Too late though. 17 off it. KKR 162/8 after 19 overs
Shivam Mavi is trying to build upm some resistance but this is probably a lost cause. Back to back boundaries. A 4 and then a 6. And another 6 in the 5th ball.18 off the 18th over. KKR 145/8 after 18 overs
Brilliant catch by Chahar as Morgan is also walking. KKR go 8 down as CSK make merry. KKR 125/8 after 16.3 overs.
Now all hopes rest on Morgan and an injured Tripathi. But too soon. Rahul is also gone. This is turning into a nightmare for KKR. Thakur takes his 3rd wicket. Match is as good as gone. Probably. KKR 123/7 after 15.4 overs.
And now Shakib is also gone. That collapse is real. Struck on the pad and gone! Shakib plays all around this sharp-spinning delivery, misses it and that would've crashed into the stumps. KKR 120/6 as we go to timeout.
And Dinesh Karthik is gone. Jadeja takes a wicket. Rayadu takes a catch. KKR 119/5 after 14.5 overs.
And Karthik starts with a 6. What a shot. 9 off this Chahar over and the important Gill wicket. Can KKR cross the line? KKR 117/4 after 14 overs.
And Gill is gone now. Wickets are tumbling now. And KKR is looking for some inspiration.
Jadeja now comes to bowl. Gill needs to start moving now. 100 up for KKR but they need boundaries now. And finally a boundary to bring up his 50. 9 off the over. KKR 108/3 after 13 overs.
Now Hazlewood is on the attack. What a catch and it's Jadeja again at deep midwicket! Narine is also gone. KKR wickets falling like trees. KKR 97/3 after 11.3 overs
And now Rana is gone. First ball. KKR in a fix as they lose their second wicket. Faf takes a simple catch. Shardul gets his second wicket. KKR 93/2 after 11 overs
And Iyer is gone. Jadeja makes up for his lost wicket by taking a great catch. The dangerous Iyer goes. This is the wicket CSK wanted. Huge. KKR 91/1 after 10.4 overs.
Jadeja gets hit for a 6 straightaway. Iyer again. And he gets his 50. But Gill is gone the next ball. Important wicket. But wait. It's been checked for a no ball. It's hit the spider cam. It's a dead ball. It has to be bowled again. Gill survives. And he hits a 4 off the 4th ball. Luck is just on their side today. And another 4 to follow. 16 off this over. KKR 88/0 after 10 overs.
Not often does MS Dhoni miss two chances of a batsman. Venkatesh Iyer was the lucky one. Dhoni made a meal of the first one and did superbly well to get a glove-brush on the second. Kris Srikkanth had predicted the first edge - “one Khachak coming viewers!” Khachak is the sound effect he gives to a ball that rears from back of length that he predicted Josh Hazlewood would bowl in the second over. And he did too and Iyer backed away to try punching it off the backfoot but nicked it. It flew to the left of Dhoni who perhaps leaped a bit more than needed as it wasn’t that high nor that far from him. May be it dipped a touch in the end. Dhoni gestured to someone that it wobbled a bit in the end. One wonders who that fielder was. He usually shows such reactions to his friend Suresh Raina who isn’t playing the game. In the fifth over, Shardul Thakur bowled a slower short ball and Iyer top edged his attempted pull and it lobbed over Dhoni who did his utmost best to pouch. He timed his leap perfectly and stretched his right hand to the fullest but the ball just about brushed his glove and ran away.
And Jadeja was bowling a good over up until THAT! What a hit by Iyer. Rammed over long on. 9 off the over. KKR 68/0 after 8 overs
Another impressive batting Powerplay from Kolkata Knight Riders, across the UAE leg they’re the second fastest scoring side (8.08 rpo) and the best side at preserving wickets, averaging 60 runs per dismissal.
Bravo in to bowl the 7th over. Very good over. Uses his experience well. Just 4 off it as we go for timeout. KKR 59/0 after 7 overs.
And the last over of the powerplay. Chahar to bowl. Was bowling a decent over until getting hit for a 4 by Gill. Sliced between midoff and cover. The chase is on. 8 off the over. KKR 55/0 after 6 overs.
Shardul Thakur was bowling a good over until those back to back boundaries by Iyer. KKR stay strong. KKR 47/0 after 5 overs.
Even as Deepak Chahar ran in for the first ball of the chase, Shubman Gill was chewing his gum. Batsmen generally chew in between deliveries and only a few - we all know who - do it actively even when the bowler is about to deliver the ball. Just as the ball was released, Gill went down the track and absolutely walloped it over midwicket. Gill loves that shot over midwicket. Many others do play that shot but not many retain shape even when going down the track. Almost as if he is standing on a camera trolley that has been slid forward. Gill somehow manages to stay almost still - no jarring of the lead shoulder, no bobbing of the head and the bat swoops down nice and smooth to create carnage.
And a wide by Hazlewood to start this over. Now Gill hits one for 4. Could have been taken but no. And Iyer hits another one for four. This one has been sliced. 12 off this one. KKR 36/0 after 4 overs
Chahar back to bowl his second over. And a 4 in the 3rd ball by Iyer. Great drive. And another one by Iyer. 9 off the over. KKR have started steady. KKR 24/0 after 3 overs.
Hazlewood in the attack. And Iyer has been dropped. Will this be KKR's du Plessis moment? Did not wait long for that answer. Iyer hits a 6 off the next ball. 9 off the over. KKR 15/0 after 2 overs.
Wide to begin the over and a 4 on his second ball by Gill. Asking rate is 10. They have started with that attitude. But but but. 4 dots to follow. And 1 run off the last ball. KKR 6/0 after 1 over.
Shubman Gill and Venkatesh Iyer are at the crease. Shubman Gill is on strike. Chahar will open the attack.
200 by KKR vs PBKS Bengaluru 2014
191 by KKR vs CSK Chennai 2012
Big runs on the board for CSK and they just needed 4 batsmen to achieve 192. Apart from that one stage just after the powerplay, where KKR's spinners actually looked a bit threatening, there's been really nothing in this pitch for the bowlers. Now their batsmen need to take this game by the scruff of its neck and steer them to victory. It's a tough ask but if KKR get going, it's totally possible. Can they get 194? We wait.
C Gayle (708) & V Kohli (634) RCB, 2013
V Kohli (973) & AB de Villiers (687) RCB, 2016
R Gaikwad (635) & Faf du Plessis (633) CSK, 2021
Last over. Mavi. Can CSK get 200? And du Plessis is gone. What an over. Shame it came so late. CSK 192/3 after 20 overs.
Varun comes to bowl the 19th over. Can CSK reach 200. KKR will have a huge mountain to climb then. And Ali has hit him for a 4. Where are all these runs coming from? And there's a 6. Ali is absolutely on point tonight. Another expensive over. CSK 185/2 after 19 overs.
Lanky Venkatesh Iyer has been the discovery of the tournament. He could strike stadium-clearing sixes, chime in with wickets with all-sorts medium pace, and he could fling bullet throws from the deep with both hands. He was stationed at cover, and Robin Uthappa dabbed a Varun Chakravarthy ball towards third man. He sprinted a fair distance, intercepted the rapidly travelling ball near the ropes, picked it with his left hand and flung a neat, flat throw in one fluid motion. In the next over, he was standing at deep point when Uthappa hammered one through covers. Iyer blitzed in time to thwart a boundary, gathered it cleanly and bulleted another flat throw to the bowler. Only this time, he used his right hand. There are batsmen who bat left-handed and bowl right-handed. The other way around. But there are few fielders worth their salt who could be dexterous with both their arms to file in a hammer throw from the deep. Who knows, he could bat right-handed and bowl left-handed too. Quiz his school teachers, maybe he could write with both hands.
Robin Uthappa was the batsman at the other end when Rahul Tewatia burst on the public imagination with a stunning assault in last year’s IPL. Uthappa was the senior batsman for Rajasthan Royals but he couldn’t do much that night. It was still better than the 2019 game when he played for KKR and royally struggled in a game against Mumbai Indians. There were 25 dot balls in his 47-ball knock that night. The last few years he has been shuttled from one team to another and his stint with CSK too seemed destined for lots of hours in the dug out until Suresh Raina picked up a niggle. He smashed a match-deciding knock in the first play-off and has played a lovely cameo (15-ball 31) in the final now. He started with a reverse sweep off Sunil Narine first ball though he couldn’t connect. He then smashed Shakib Al Hasan over long-on, and pummelled a carrom ball from Varun Chakravarthy over wide midwicket - a speciality shot of his. He then walloped Narine over midwicket before he fell lbw, attempting another reverse sweep. All in all, though, the last couple of games must have done a lot in erasing the bad memories from the last couple of years.
The runs keep on flowing for CSK as KKR bowlers are distraught. A four by Ali now. Ferguson is not having the best of games tonight. and there goes du Plessis again. Another 6. And a 4 to end it. CSK get 19 off tis over. CSK 172/2 after 18 overs.
And Moeen Ali has joined the party. A 6 off Mavi's first ball. And a 6 to end ther over as well. Mavi was making a good comeback but it's snuffed out. 14 off it. CSK 153/2 after 17 overs.
Lockie in the attack and he is straightaway hit by du Plessis for a 4. It's an edge. Unlucky? UnLockie? I'll stop now. Decent little over. Just 8 off it. CSK 139/2 after 16 overs.
Iyer in to bowl the 15th over. A relatively quiet over after a flurry of activities in the last few overs. Good over. Just 6 off it. CSK 131/2 after 15 overs.
Next over by Narine. Same treatment by Uthappa. Another 6. Appeal for LBW now. Big shout. CSK are reviewing it. And he is gone. The original decision stays. Uthappa played a great cameo. CSK 124/2 after 13.3 overs as we go to time out.
Varun in to bowl and Uthappa has just nailed this one for a 6. 50 up for this partnership off just 26 balls. 12 off this over. CSK are absolutely flying. CSK 116/1 after 13 overs.
You could hear from the stump microphone someone screeching to Varun Chakravarthy: “Jaldi, jaldi Varun, jaldi, jaldi”. The bowler had just begun measuring his run-up, and teammates know he takes his sweet time covering roughly five yards. But Varun does it step by step, rather than hop like most bowlers, even spinners. Someone like Rashid Khan bolts through the routine while Shahid Afridi used to almost leap when marking his run-up. But Varun is in no hurry, he crawls through it, taking one step at a time, like he’s taking baby steps to learn the moon-walk. After planting one foot, he waits for an eternity before planting the next, so next to each other that he could trip himself, leaving some of his less patient teammates fidgety.
And Ferguson gets the same treatment from du Plessis. A four off the second ball of this over. And what do you know!! Another one to follow. Just muscles that through the covers.And a 6 to bring up his 50. CSK are rolling. 17 off the over. CSK 97/1 after 11 overs.
And du Plessis ends the run of 17 singles since the last boundary with a 6. And another to follow. 15 off Shakib's latest over. Chennai Super Kings 80/1 after 10 overs.
And Narine gets one. The dangerous Gaikwad is gone. KKR bowlers have kept CSK quiet for the last two overs, conceding just 6 and 5 respectively and now this. CSK 61/1 after 8.1 overs.
It’s third time in as many games that Dinesh Karthik missed a stumping chance. Off the first ball of the third over of the innings, Shakib Al Hasan looped one up on a length, sucking Faf du Plessis into a drive but the ball dinked past the inside edge of the bat and slid down leg side but Karthik couldn’t gather. It still would have needed Dhoni-like reflexes to pull off the stumping as du Plessis had begun to slide his back foot towards safety but as it transpired, it rolled away for a bye. To make matters worse, Ruturaj Gaikwad swept a four and pulled a six in that over. The good news for the superstitious Kolkata fans is that in the last two games Karthik fluffed a stumping, Kolkata Knight Riders went on to win.
Varun has come in to bowl the last over of powerplay. Was stemming the runs somewhat. But oh. Bowls a no ball. Free hit time. And it's hit straight down the ground for 4. 8 off the over. CSK 50/0 after 6 overs.
Now Mavi gets the boundary treatment by du Plessis. Ruturaj, meanwhile, crosses KL Rahul to become the highest run scorer this IPL season. 8 off this over. CSK 42/0 after 5 overs.
Ferguson in the attack now. And there might have been a run out but no. Gorgeous shot by Gaikwad for 4. He is in that sort of form again. du Plessis hits another one off the 5th ball. Over ends at 12 runbs. CSK 34/0 after 4 overs.
After a relatively quiet second over by Mavi, Ruturaj has started targetting Shakib. One 4 and one 6 in back to back balls. 13 off this over. CSK 22/0 after 3 overs. Ther could have been a run out too but no.
Shakib in the attack. And a 4 off his fourth ball. The first of the day. Easily put away by Ruturaj. 6 runs off the first over. CSK 6/0 after 1 over.
Du Plessis comes out swinging his bat, with Gaikwad on strike for the Chennai Super Kings. Shakib will open Kolkata Knight Riders' attack. Let's begin!!