Chennai Super Kings hold a very prominent head-to-head record against Kolkata Knight Riders, having a 16-8 head-to-head record in 25 matches which includes wins in four out of the last five games.
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The IPL 2021 final is all set to take place between Chennai Super Kings and Kolkata Knight Riders. MS Dhoni’s side finished in the top two as they once again put up a fabulous show of consistency. Chennai Super Kings defeated Delhi Capitals in the first qualifier to enter the final for the ninth time in 12 editions of the IPL. Kolkata Knight Riders, on the other hand, staged a resurgence. When the tournament was held in India, they were languishing in the seventh spot. But, when the edition shifted to the UAE, they were in top form, winning against Delhi Capitals, Mumbai Indians, and Royal Challengers Bangalore at crucial intervals.
Kolkata Knight Riders sealed the fourth spot as they thrashed Rajasthan Royals to ensure their NRR would be far superior to Mumbai Indians. In the IPL 2021 Eliminator, Sunil Narine’s all-round skills gave Kolkata Knight Riders a tense win. But, in the second qualifier, they almost shot themselves in the foot. Needing 13 to win off 24 balls, they suddenly found themselves needing six runs off two balls. Rahul Tripathi hit a six off R Ashwin to seal a memorable win.
However, they face a formidable opponent in Chennai Super Kings. In 2012, Chennai Super Kings faced off against Kolkata Knight Riders in the final. It was KKR that upstaged Dhoni’s side to win the title for the first time. But, their record against Chennai Super Kings is not so good. In 25 matches, KKR has lost 16 and won only eight games against CSK with one game being washed out.
In the last five games, the situation has not been so good. Chennai Super Kings have won four out of the last five games against Kolkata Knight Riders. In fact, Kolkata Knight Riders have never beaten Chennai Super Kings twice in one edition of the tournament. In IPL 2021, they have lost both their games against Chennai Super Kings by a close margin. Heading into the final, they will be determined to snap their losing streak in a big way.
Chennai Super Kings were consistent in IPL 2021. They entered the UAE leg already high on confidence. But, at the Sheikh Zayed stadium in Abu Dhabi, Kolkata Knight Riders set the early initiative. Rahul Tripathi hit 45 and he got good support from Nitish Rana who hit an unbeaten 37. Andre Russell and Dinesh Karthik chipped in with some cameos as Kolkata Knight Riders hit 171/6. Ruturaj Gaikwad and Faf du Plessis stitched a solid opening stand. Moeen Ali also hit a fantastic 32 but CSK fell away in the middle overs. At one stage, Kolkata Knight Riders pulled ahead. But, Ravindra Jadeja hit two fours and two sixes in one over bowled by Prasidh Krishna. Sunil Narine took two wickets as the match was evenly poised. However, Deepak Chahar hit the last ball over the infield for a couple to seal a tense win.
In the clash at the Wankhede stadium, Ruturaj Gaikwad and Faf du Plessis put on an exhibition of batting. Gaikwad and du Plessis shared a 115-run opening stand and put Chennai Super Kings on course for a big score. Du Plessis got great support from Moeen Ali but he was unlucky to miss his century. Chennai Super Kings reached 220/3 and Kolkata Knight Riders started poorly. They were reduced to 31/5 but Andre Russell, Dinesh Karthik, and Pat Cummins staged a fightback.
Russell blasted a 22-ball 54 and Karthik chipped in with 40 off 24 balls. But, Cummins gave CSK a real score. He smashed five sixes in one over bowled by Sam Curran and his 66 off 34 balls put KKR on course. But, quick wickets meant CSK held the edge and they won the match by 18 runs.
Nitish Rana put on a tremendous display of batting as he smashed 87 off 61 balls. The knock included 10 fours and four sixes. He was the star as Kolkata Knight Riders ended up with a competitive score of 172/5. But, Ruturaj Gaikwad showed his mettle in a big way. He took the attack to the KKR bowlers, smashing them for six fours and two sixes in his knock of 72 from 53 balls. Ravindra Jadeja gave the innings a magnificent final thrust by hammering 31 off 11 balls. This included two sixes in the last over as Chennai Super Kings won a crucial match that dented KKR’s playoff hopes.
Rahul Tripathi was the star in the league game in Abu Dhabi as he smashed a brilliant 81. Although the rest of the batting did not get big starts, Kolkata Knight Riders managed to get to a good score. Dwayne Bravo, Karn Sharma, and Shardul Thakur were the key wicket-takers as Kolkata Knight Riders ended on 167 all out. Chennai Super Kings started well with Shane Watson hitting 50. He got great support from Ambati Rayudu who hit 30 off 27 balls. However, in the end overs, Chennai Super Kings lost momentum. Dhoni struggled while Kedar Jadhav’s 7 off 12 balls proved to be costly. Chennai Super Kings lost the match by 10 runs.
Chris Lynn was at his aggressive best as he blasted 82 off 51 balls. The knock included seven fours and six sixes and it seemed like Kolkata Knight Riders would get a big score. But, Imran Tahir ran through the KKR middle order, taking 4/27. Combined with Mitchell Santner, KKR was restricted to 161/8. Although Chennai Super Kings lost Watson and du Plessis cheaply, Suresh Raina was the star with an unbeaten 58 off 42 balls. Ravindra Jadeja once again gave the finishing touches with a brilliant 31 off 17 balls. Chennai Super Kings won by five wickets to maintain their stranglehold on Kolkata Knight Riders.
