IPL 2021: KKR overcome DC, reach their third final
Kolkata Knight Riders have beaten Delhi Capitals in the Qualifier 2 of the 2021 Indian Premier League (IPL) season. A scintillating knock from Venkatesh Iyer (55) helped KKR chase 136. The Knight Riders have qualified for their third IPL final. They will take on MS Dhoni's Chennai Super Kings in what will be a repeat of the 2012 IPL final. Here's more.
How did the match pan out?
Shikhar Dhawan and Prithvi Shaw got DC off to a flier after KKR elected to field. Delhi mustered 38/1 in the first six overs. They couldn't score consistently after Shaw departed. Marcus Stoinis looked rusty in his comeback game. The bowlers were on top as DC managed 135/5. Venkatesh and Shubman gave KKR a perfect platform but the match went down to the wire.
Varun Chakravarthy was the standout bowler for KKR
Mystery spinner Varun Chakravarthy has been on a roll in the UAE leg. He has rarely given any freebies to the batters so far. The 30-year-old was the pick of KKR's bowlers tonight. He picked up two wickets for 26 runs. Notably, Chakravarthy has recorded an economy rate of under seven in each game of the UAE leg.
Chakravarthy's figures in the UAE leg of IPL 2021
Chakravarthy's figures in the UAE leg of IPL 2021: 4-0-26-2 vs DC, 4-0-20-0 vs RCB, 4-0-14-1 vs RR, 4-0-26-2 vs SRH, 4-0-24-2 vs PBKS, 4-0-24-0 vs DC, 4-0-22-1 vs CSK, 4-0-22-0 vs MI, 4-0-13-3 vs RCB
Venkatesh, Gill attain these feats
Venkatesh has been the nucleus of KKR's batting line-up this year. He continued his sublime run against DC as well, setting up the tone of KKR's run-chase. Venkatesh slammed his third half-century and completed 300 runs in his debut season. Meanwhile, Shubman Gill raced to 400 runs in the season. He reached the landmark for the second consecutive season.
KKR enter their third IPL final
KKR have entered the IPL final for the third time. The Knight Riders last qualified for the summit clash in 2014. They clinched the title in that edition after defeating Punjab Kings. KKR were also crowned champions in 2012 when they overcame CSK in the final. Interestingly, the Eoin Morgan-led side haven't lost a match while chasing in the UAE leg so far.
Morgan scripts history!
Morgan has become only the second player after Gautam Gambhir to lead KKR to an IPL final. The latter has done the same twice (in 2012 and 2014). Morgan would want to go the extra mile by winning the title this time.
