Chennai Super Kings on Friday defeated Kolkata Knight Riders by 27 riders to lift the IPL 2021 trophy in the UAE.
Kolkata Knight Riders won the toss and surprised everyone by electing to field first. The decision proved quite costly as Chennai Super Kings amassed a total of 192-3 in 20 overs. Faf du Plessis emerged as the top scorer with a knock of 86, scored in 59 balls. His knock included seven fours and three sixes.
Robin Uthappa faced 15 balls to score a quickfire 31 runs, while Moeen Ali remained unbeaten at 37, which he needed just 20 balls to score.
KKR’s run chase began on an aggressive note as they piled up 47 runs in the first overs without losing a wicket. Venkatesh Iyer, who was dropped by Mahendra Singh Dhoni early on, went on to punish the CSK for this costly lapse.
KKR too were lethargic in the field as they dropped catches and conceded runs through poor fielding. Shah Rukh Khan’s team made 55 in the first power play of six overs without losing a wicket.
Both Shubman Gill and Venkatesh Iyer added 91 runs for the first wicket, scoring 51 and 50 runs respectively. However, KKR’s batting collapse began after their departure with their next seven batsmen unable to reach the double-digit mark.
KKR had reached the final by winning seven of their last nine matches and defeating two Royal Challengers Bangalore and Delhi Capitals in the last two ‘eliminator‘ and ‘qualifier 2‘ matches.