Chennai Super Kings reached the final of IPL 2021 and it is the ninth time that they are reaching the summit stage of the tournament in 12 editions of the tournament.
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Chennai Super Kings are in the final of IPL 2021 after beating Delhi Capitals in a close match with two balls to spare in the First Qualifier. This has resulted in the Chennai Super Kings reaching the final for the ninth time in 12 editions of the tournament. The consistency shown by the Chennai Super Kings is staggering. When one looks at where they finished in IPL 2020 in which they failed to qualify for the playoffs for the first time, the turnaround is staggering. Ruturaj Gaikwad has been the star for Chennai Super Kings along with Faf du Plessis and Ravindra Jadeja.
Chennai Super Kings are the three-time IPL champions but they have lost in the final six times. They lost to Rajasthan Royals in 2008 and tasted defeat at the hands of Kolkata Knight Riders in IPL 2012. In subsequent years, they lost in 2013, 2015, and 2019 to Mumbai Indians as they lost ground to Rohit Sharma’s side.
With Chennai Super Kings reaching the final for the ninth time, here is a look at their journey so far in IPL 2021 and their path to the final.
The IPL 2021 did not begin on a bright note for Chennai Super Kings in their opening game in Mumbai. Suresh Raina and Sam Curran struck aggressive knocks as Chennai Super Kings reached 188/7. It looked like a good score but Prithvi Shaw and Shikhar Dhawan tore into the attack. Dhawan smashed 85 and Shaw hit 72 as the 138-run opening stand gave Delhi Capitals a commanding win with eight balls to spare.
A sensational spell of bowling from Deepak Chahar had Punjab Kings on the ropes. His spell of 4/13 reduced them to 57/6 in the 13th over. It took some big hitting from Mohammad Shahrukh Khan to ensure that Punjab Kings crossed 100. Faf du Plessis and Moeen Ali ensured that there were no problems in the chase as Chennai Super Kings got their campaign back on track.
A superb all-round batting show from the top and middle-order saw Chennai Super Kings reach 188/9. Faf du Plessis and Ambati Rayudu were the stars as they top-scored with the bat. With the ball, Moeen Ali was in sensational form to take 3/7. Rajasthan Royals never got going with Jos Buttler’s 49 being the only big score. Apart from Moeen, Ravindra Jadeja and Sam Curran took two wickets apiece to help them win against Rajasthan Royals.
A power-packed performance from the top-order saw Chennai Super Kings reach a mammoth score. Du Plessis was unlucky to miss out on his century as he was dismissed for 95. His 115-run stand with Ruturaj Gaikwad, who also hit a fifty gave Chennai Super Kings a score in excess of 200. Chasing 221, Kolkata Knight Riders were reduced to 31/5 with Deepak Chahar taking four wickets. But, from that point on, KKR decided to unleash their aggression.
Dinesh Karthik, Andre Russell, and Pat Cummins unleashed a flurry of boundaries in the middle overs. Russell blasted 54 off 22 balls with six sixes but a moment of misjudgment saw him lose his wicket. Karthik was the next to go with 40 but Pat Cummins kept the game alive till the end. He blasted five sixes in one over of Sam Curran but the pressure was too much. Cummins reached fifty but Kolkata Knight Riders stumbled by 18 runs.
It was the match that was dominated by the brilliance of Ravindra Jadeja. Du Plessis hit another fifty but at 142/4 in the 18th over, it seemed like CSK would fall short of a good total. In came Ravindra Jadeja and he changed the course of the match in one over. Harshal Patel, who had already become one of the best bowlers in IPL 2021, was taken to the cleaners. He was hit for 37 runs in one over as Jadeja notched up his fifty. His 62 included 28 balls as Chennai Super Kings ended on 191/4.
Jadeja was not done yet. With the ball, he dismissed Washington Sundar, Glenn Maxwell, and AB de Villiers cheaply. The ball to get rid of de Villiers was special. To top it all, he ran out Dan Christian and Royal Challengers Bangalore were demolished single-handedly by Ravindra Jadeja.
Chennai Super Kings registered their fifth consecutive win in the 2021 edition of the IPL. Sunrisers Hyderabad’s batsmen struggled with the sluggishness of the wicket in Delhi. David Warner hit 55 and Manish Pandey 61 but they had a low strike rate. Gaikwad and du Plessis showed their class by hammering fifties and sharing a 129-run stand. Gaikwad and du Plessis’ solid platform ensured that Chennai Super Kings won the match by a comfortable margin.
It was a thriller thanks to the exploits of one individual. He had always hurt Chennai Super Kings in the final of 2013 and 2019. Now, he was at it again. Kieron Pollard played a knock for the ages as Chennai Super Kings once again faltered against Mumbai Indians. The start was great for them. Du Plessis, Moeen Ali, and Rayudu were the stars in a blazing batting display. Rayudu, in particular, was severe as he smashed four boundaries and seven sixes in his knock of 72 from 27 balls. Chasing 219 for a win, Mumbai Indians started aggressively but lost wickets at crucial intervals.
Pollard then decided to step up. He blasted sixes at will, especially of Shardul Thakur and Lungi Ngidi, both of whom had an economy rate of over 14. With 16 runs needed off the last over, Pollard hit the winning runs in grand style to give Mumbai Indians their most successful chase in the IPL. This would be the last match in India as the tournament was suspended due to the coronavirus outbreak.
The revenge was sweet after the tournament resumed in the UAE. But, Chennai Super Kings had to work incredibly hard to pull it off. They were reeling at 24/4 when Gaikwad and Jadeja stitched a solid 81-run stand. Gaikwad continued his love affair with the UAE as he blasted his fourth consecutive fifty. He grew in confidence and stayed till the end. Gaikwad also showed his audacity as he slog-swept a low full toss from Jasprit Bumrah into the stands at deep midwicket. His unbeaten 88 gave Chennai Super Kings a score of 156/6.
In response, Mumbai Indians’ opening match blues hurt them. None of the batsmen, with the exception of Saurabh Tiwary got going. Rohit Sharma and Hardik Pandya had missed the match and that forced the Mumbai Indians to field a weakened side. They lost by 20 runs and it was the start of a serious dent in momentum for the five-time champions.
The RCB batting order fired on all cylinders in this match. Devdutt Padikkal was the star with 70 and he got great support from Virat Kohli who hit 53. But, Dwayne Bravo picked 3/24 as RCB failed to produce the big runs in the death overs. A total of 156 was under-par on the flat Sharjah wicket. The Chennai Super Kings batting showed immense consistency as they chased the target down with 11 balls remaining. Just like in India, they had gotten the better of RCB twice yet again.
Kolkata Knight Riders were boosted by solid all-round contributions from the middle order as they reached 171/6. CSK was boosted by a solid opening stand yet again from Ruturaj Gaikwad and Faf du Plessis. The duo’s 74-run stand put them on course but KKR fought back. Sunil Narine led the charge with three wickets and for some time, it looked like KKR were dominating.
It took a cameo off 22 from eight balls by Ravindra Jadeja to turn the tide in Chennai Super Kings’ favor. Narine was tasked to bowl the final over and he did a great job. Deepak Chahar and Shardul Thakur held their nerve to guide Chennai Super Kings over the line on the last ball.
It was a tremendous performance from Josh Hazlewood, who shattered everyone’s misconception that he was primarily a Test bowler. Hazlewood took 3/24 and was instrumental in Chennai Super Kings restricting Sunrisers Hyderabad to 134/7. Gaikwad and du Plessis were at it again and they smashed aggressive knocks to give Chennai Super Kings yet another victory.
Perhaps, this was the one match in the UAE where Chennai Super Kings’ bowling unit fell haywire. Gaikwad hit a century by hitting the last ball of Chennai Super Kings’ innings for a six. It summed up the talent that the youngster was. But, Rajasthan Royals took inspiration from that knock to script their own fairytale. Yashasvi Jaiswal hit fifty off 20 balls but it was Shivam Dube who stole the show.
Dube blasted 64 off 42 balls and the knock included four boundaries and four sixes. He was given good support from Sanju Samson and Glenn Phillips as Rajasthan Royals notched up a seven-wicket win to keep their campaign alive.
This was the period that looked like Chennai Super Kings had lost momentum heading into the playoffs. Their batting struggled and it took an unbeaten 55 off 43 balls from Ambati Rayudu to help Chennai Super Kings reach 136/5. Shikhar Dhawan started well with 39 off 35 balls but Delhi Capitals struggled for momentum in the middle overs.
Chennai Super Kings seemed to have had the match in their grasp. But, Shinrom Hetmyer hit 28 off 18 balls as he guided them over the finish line in grand style. It was Hetmyer’s knock that ensured Delhi Capitals inflicted a loss in both matches against Mumbai Indians and Chennai Super Kings for the first time in their franchise history.
Game 14: vs Punjab Kings, lost by six wickets
Faf du Plessis was the lone bright start for Chennai Super Kings as he hit 76 from 55 balls. He and Gaikwad were the only players to show some form as the rest struggled. A total of 134/6 was not going to be enough against Punjab Kings’ batting. KL Rahul displayed some audacious hitting to totally deflate the Chennai Super Kings. His 98 came off 42 balls which included seven fours and eight sixes. With Punjab Kings needing a boost in the NRR, Rahul provided them the blitz. Although Punjab Kings won by six wickets, they could not qualify for the playoffs.
