Chennai Super Kings win fourth IPL title: Records broken
Chennai Super Kings thrashed Kolkata Knight Riders to win the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2021 title. The MS Dhoni-led side has now won four IPL titles in total. Batting first, CSK posted 192/3 after being asked to bat in Dubai. Faf du Plessis looked in great touch for CSK. In reply, KKR (165/9) faltered in the run-chase after getting a superb start. Here's more.
How did the IPL 2021 final pan out?
CSK openers were brilliant at the top and that saw the side set the platform. After Ruturaj Gaikwad's dismissal, Faf continued the fireworks alongside Robin Uthappa (31) and Moeen Ali (37*). These three fifty-plus stands helped CSK post 190-plus total. In response, KKR openers went hard and kept the scorecard ticking. However, the middle-order faltered big time to suffer in the chase.
Ruturaj wins the prestigious Orange Cap
Ruturaj scored a promising 32-run knock. He faced 27 deliveries and hit three fours and a six. With this effort, Ruturaj went past KL Rahul (626) and bagged the prestigious Orange Cap. Ruturaj finished IPL 2021 with 635 runs at 46.61. He is now the youngest to win the Orange Cap in IPL history.
Faf du Plessis smashes his 22nd fifty in IPL
Faf brought up a brilliant half-century. He notched his sixth fifty this season and a 22nd overall. Faf scored 86 from 59 balls. Playing his 100th IPL match, Faf went past the 2,900-run mark (2,935). He surpassed Brendon McCullum's tally (2,880). He became the third player to get past 600 runs this season (633). He also got past 400 runs against KKR (427).
Sunil Narine is the seventh-highest wicket-taker in IPL history
Sunil Narine (2/26) did well for KKR. The veteran spinner ended with 16 wickets this season at 22.56. For the fifth time in IPL, Narine claimed 15-plus wickets in a season. Overall, he has raced to 143 wickets at 24.53. He is now the seventh-highest wicket-taker in IPL history, surpassing Bhuvneshwar Kumar (142). He became the fourth bowler to take 20-plus wickets against CSK.
Ruturaj and Faf finish with 756 partnership runs
CSK openers added 61 runs against KKR. They ended the season with 756 partnership runs. The Ruturaj-Faf duo stitched the highest tally this season, surpassing the 744 runs between Shikhar Dhawan and Prithvi Shaw. This tally is also the third-most in an IPL season.
MSD becomes first captain to lead in 300 T20 matches
MS Dhoni added another feather to his illustrious cap. He led in his 300th T20 match as captain. Notably, Dhoni and former West Indies star Daren Sammy (208) are the only two players to have led in more than 200 T20s. Dhoni led India in 72 T20Is, besides captaining CSK in his 214th match. He also led Rising Pune Supergiant (14 matches).
KKR openers Gill and Iyer smash fifties
KKR openers Shubman Gill and Venkatesh Iyer added 91 runs for the first wicket. Gill scored a 43-ball 51, hitting six fours. He ended the season with 478 runs at 29.87. Iyer brought up a fine half-century (50), hitting five fours and three sixes. Playing his 10th game of the season, Iyer smashed his fourth fifty, ending with 370 runs.
Notable feats scripted by Jadeja and Shardul
Ravindra Jadeja (2/37) played his 200th IPL game. The left-arm spinner finished with 13 wickets this season. He now has 127 wickets in the IPL, becoming just the 11th bowler to get past 125 scalps. He now has 18 wickets against KKR. Shardul Thakur (3/38) claimed three wickets for CSK. The pacer has 67 IPL wickets, surpassing Siddharth Trivedi and Jacques Kallis (65 each).
Unwanted numbers for KKR's Ferguson
KKR pacer Lockie Ferguson conceded 56 runs from his four overs. As per statistician Umang Pabari, this is the joint-most by any bowler in the UAE leg of this IPL. It's also the second-most runs conceded by any bowler in an IPL final match.
CSK march on to win fourth title
CSK played their ninth IPL final. They did so previously in 2008, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2015, 2018, and 2019. The Yellow Army have now been crowned champions in 2010, 2011, 2018, and 2021. Meanwhile, KKR featured in their third IPL final. Their perfect record in the finals came to an end, having won the tournament in 2012 and 2014.
CSK maintain their 100% record against KKR this season
CSK beat KKR for the third successive time this season. Earlier, they had won both the league matches. CSK and KKR have met four times in the UAE. CSK now have a 3-1 advantage. This was their 17th win versus KKR in the IPL.
