IPL 2021 Final, CSK vs KKR as it happened: Chennai Super Kings win by 27 runs to bag fourth title

MS Dhoni: “Before I start talking about CSK, it’s important I talk about KKR. If any team deserved to win the title, it was KKR. I think the break really helped them, really tremendous performance. Every final is special. It’s very important to come back strong. Can’t let the opposition come back into the game. As cricketers, I feel 20 minutes is the maximum we can maintain concentration. It is a team sport, but individual performances are very important in knockout games. I want to thank CSK fans. No matter where we play, we always get good number of fans. And that’s what you crave for. So, thank you. It felt like playing at the Chepauk in Chennai. Hopefully, we’ll be back there. It’s about CSK and making them strong (on returning for CSK). The auctions will be about the next 10 years. But I still haven’t left things behind (he says as he walks off with a big smile).”

Eoin Morgan: “I’m extremely proud of the fight we’ve shown right through the season. The owners and fans have supported us throughout. Unfortunately, it proved one game too many. Iyer and Gill were the cornerstone of our batting in this second leg, that’s the biggest compliment I can pay to them.”

Most Valuable Player of the season: Harshal Patel

Orange Cap (most runs): Ruturaj Gaikwad (635 runs)

Purple Cap (most wickets): Harshal Patel (32 wickets in 15 matches)

Power player of the season: Venkatesh Iyer

Most sixes in the season: KL Rahul (30 sixes)

Game-changer of the season: Harshal Patel (1,081 points)

Super striker of the season: Shimron Hetmyer (Delhi Capitals) for a strike-rate of 168.

Catch of the season: Ravi Bishnoi for his stunner against KKR in match No 21 to dismiss Sunil Narine.

Fairplay award: Rajasthan Royals

Emerging player of the season: Ruturaj Gaikwad – 635 runs at an average of 45 and a SR of 136.

Player of the match: Faf du Plessis for his brilliant 86 off 59.

11.59 pm: Finally, we’re ready for the post-match presentation ceremony.

CSK WIN BY 27 RUNS

KKR 164/9 after 19.5 overs: WICKET! Mavi gets deceived by a Bravo slower ball and slogs it straight to deep mid-wicket. CSK are moments away from their fourth IPL title.

DJ Bravo bowling the final over.

KKR 162/8 after 19 overs: Thakur bowls a long, long over which had a two wides and two sixes for Ferguson. That gives KKR mathematically a chance. They need 31 off 6. Dhoni was NOT happy at the end of that over and he made sure Thakur knew that.

KKR 145/8 after 18 overs: Big over! Mavi hits Bravo for 4, 6 and 6 to bring some cheer to KKR fans. They now need 48 off 12.

KKR 125/8 after 16.3 overs: WICKET! Deepak Chahar with a magnificent catch at the deep square-leg boundary! Morgan pulled it to him and he did the juggle in-and-out of the rope to complete the catch. Morgan departs for 4 off 8 as Hazlewood strikes. Mavi is the new batter. KKR need 68 off 21.

KKR 123/7 after 15.4 overs: WICKET! Another one bites the dust for KKR, this time Tripathi finds Moeen at long-on. Thakur gets his third. KKR need 70 off 26.

KKR 120/6 after 15 overs: WICKET! Jadeja gets two in one over as Shakib departs for a first ball duck. The left-hander tried to whip it across but got struck plumb in front. Jadeja finishes with 2/37 from his four overs. KKR need 73 off 30.

KKR 119/5 after 14.5 overs: WICKET! Karthik tries to get a maximum but finds Rayudu in the deep. Jadeja strikes. Karthik departs for 9 off 7, KKR need 74 off 31. Shakib is the new batter.

KKR 117/4 after 14 overs: SIX! What a start for Dinesh Karthik! He pulls his first ball for six to give KKR a much-needed push. Chahar finishes with figures of 1/32 from his four overs. KKR need 76 off 36.

KKR 108/4 after 13.2 overs: WICKET! Chahar traps Gill in front! The right-hander tried to play a scoop but missed it completely. He departs for 51 off 43. The impact seemed close to being outside off, though.

KKR 108/3 after 13 overs: Jadeja offers a juicy full-toss and Gill drives it over cover for four. KKR need 85 off 42. This match looks like it will go down to the wire. Another little burst from CSK should be enough for them.

KKR 97/3 after 11.3 overs: WICKET! Narine is gone for two off two! Hazlewood strikes as Jadeja makes a tough catch look easy at deep mid-wicket. Chennai are back in the driver’s seat in Dubai. Morgan comes to the crease. KKR need 95 off 50.

KKR 93/2 after 11 overs: WICKET! Thakur has two in the over! Rana is gone for a first-ball duck! Faf du Plessis takes a comfortable catch at mid-off as Chennai fight back. KKR need 100 off 54.

KKR 91/1 after 10.4 overs: WICKET! This time the catch is taken with spidercam is nowhere close! Thakur gets the breakthrough for Chennai as Iyer departs for 50 off 32. A fine catch from Jadeja in the deep. Rana is the new batter. Kolkata need 102 off 56.

Going down to the cable!

KKR 88/0 after 10 overs: WOW! SPIDEY SAVES SHUBMAN!!!! No, not kidding. The slog sweep from Gill is caught by Rayudu but the ball has hit the spidercam cables, and it is a dead ball. Wow, and Gill already makes the most of it with two fours.

HALF CENTURY: A brilliant six over square leg, followed by a single and it is a fantastic half century by Venky Iyer. What a player he has been for KKR at the top of the order.

KKR 72/0 after 9 overs: Right on the money. Bravo with another fantastic over, just four singles.

KKR 68/0 after 8 overs: A good over from Jadeja turns into a par over for KKR thanks to one brilliant swing of the Venky Iyer bat. Six off the last ball, a massive one at that over long on.

And Jadeja comes on straight after the timeout. Remember Ruturaj said the pitch was stopping a bit. CSK will hope pace off does the trick now.

All pace from CSK so far. Dhoni hasn’t gone to spin yet. Time for a strategic timeout. A penny for MSD’s thoughts. What does he think about those missed chances?

KKR 59/0 after 7 overs: Bravo, Bravo. A superb exhibition of change of pace, just four runs in his first over. Such overs are so crucial for CSK, pressure will mount.

Dhoni continuing to stand up to the stumps for pace against Gill, not letting him use his feet.

KKR 55/0 after 6 overs: Cracking shot from Gill! He steps out to Chahar and drives it left of mid-off for four. That’s the end of a solid powerplay for KKR, they need 138 off 84.

KKR 47/0 after 5 overs: Back-to-back boundaries for Iyer as Thakur bowls an expensive first over. The first of those boundaries went just over Dhoni after he got his fingertips to it. The next one was a poor delivery that was whipped past short-fine.

How much will CSK regret this rare wicketkeeping lapse from MS Dhoni?

KKR 36/0 after 4 overs: Two more fours! Gill hits one in the air and it falls just short of a diving Thakur at mid-off and runs away for four. Iyer then plays another cracking shot through the off side ring to pick up his fourth boundary. This is a solid start for Kolkata. They need 157 off 96.

KKR 24/0 after 3 overs: Two fours! Iyer hits two crisp drives off Chahar – first standing tall past point and then on the front foot past cover.

MS Dhoni after that dropped catch...

KKR 15/0 after 2 overs: DROPPED! Oh dear, Hazlewood gets Iyer’s outside edge and Dhoni drops a straightforward catch. It dipped a bit just when it was getting to him and he couldn’t hold on. Iyer then rubs salt into CSK’s wounds with a pull for six.

KKR 6/0 after 1 over: Shot! Gill gets the KKR innings going with a four over mid-wicket. But Chahar does well to concede just two runs more in the rest of the over. Not much swing in display in that first over.

9.30 pm: We’re ready for the chase in Dubai! Shubman Gill and Venkatesh Iyer are at the crease for Kolkata. Deepak Chahar has the new ball in hand for Chennai. Here we go!

9.15 pm: Fine over from Mavi, he concedes just seven runs and removes Faf off the last ball (catch to long-on). The South African perishes for 89 off 59, a potentially title-winning knock. Moeen Ali remains unbeaten on a superb 37 off 20. This was a clutch performance with the bat from Chennai. They were put in against an in-form attack, the pressure of the final was on, and they took the challenge head-on.

CSK finish with 192/3

CSK 185/2 after 19 overs: Moeen goes after Varun! The left-hander whips one for four before launching a superb strike straight over for six. Varun finishes with figures of 0/38 from his four overs. Mavi to bowl the last over. Will CSK get to 200?

CSK 172/2 after 18 overs: Huuuge over for Chennai! Lockie Ferguson gets hit for 19 runs in his last over to finish with dismal figures of 0/56 from his four. Moeen hits a four over cover, before Faf hits a six over cover and a four over mid-wicket. Chennai are absolutely cruising at the moment. Varun to bowl the penultimate over.

CSK 153/2 after 17 overs: Two sixes! Mavi bowls a slow, short ball to start the over and Moeen pulls it for a maximum. Cracking sound from the left-hander’s bat there. Mavi then ends the over with a quick, full-pitched delivery and Moeen drives it straight over for another maximum. Chennai’s innings is going from strength to strength. Kolkata need need to do something dramatic to pull things back in the last three overs.

CSK 139/2 after 16 overs: Ferguson returns to the attack and Faf gets a thick outside edge through backward point and short-fine for four. Eight runs come from that over.

CSK 131/2 after 15 overs: Venkatesh Iyer joins the attack and bowls a crucial, tidy over for Kolkata. Final five overs of the innings coming up. Chennai bat long and will look to go hard.

CSK 125/2 after 14 overs: Narine finishes with fine figures of 2/26 from his four overs. Moeen Ali is the new batter for Chennai. Meanwhile, Faf is batting on 57 off 42.

CSK 124/2 after 13.3 overs: WICKET! Uthappa hits another six over long-on but then gets trapped in front after attempting a reverse sweep. He took the review but it showed three reds. Narine gets his second as Uthappa walks back for quickfire 31 off 15.

CSK 116/1 after 13 overs: Crucial over for Chennai as they manage to pick 12 runs from Varun’s third. Both Faf and Robin are timing the ball wonderfully now. The men in yellow will be eyeing the 200 mark.

Fifty-run partnership between Faf du Plessis and Robin Uthappa comes up in just 26 balls as the latter players a superb sweep off Varun for six.

The moment that every KKR fan is thinking about right now...

CSK 104/1 after 12 overs: Good over from Narine, just seven runs from it. Uthappa stepped out to one and absolutely bludgeoned it straight back. It was technically a chance but Narine didn’t really have time to react.

Some cracking shots so far from Faf...

CSK 97/1 after 11 overs: FIFTY for Faf du Plessis! And another huge over for Chennai! Back-to-back fours and a six for the South African in that over. He gets to his half-century in just 35 balls. Lockie Ferguson returned to the attack, sprayed it all over the pitch, and got sprayed all over the park. Fantastic batting from Faf.

Shakib has conceded 33 runs in his 3 overs.

CSK 80/1 after 10 overs: Two sixes! Shakib returns to the attack and both du Plessis and Uthappa pick up a maximum each. Faf with a glorious drive over long-off and Uthappa with a cracking whip over mid-wicket. Just the over Chennai needed.

CSK 65/1 after 9 overs: Brilliant over from Narine – just four singles and the wicket of Gaikwad from it. Kolkata are pulling things back nicely, Chennai need someone to cut loose soon.

Rare display of emotions from Narine...

Robin Uthappa is the new batter.

CSK 61/1 after 8.1 overs: WICKET! It’s that man Narine again! Gaikwad steps out and hits it straight to Mavi at long-off. The right-hander departs for 32 off 27. Big blow for Chennai!

Last 24 balls, 27 runs for CSK. The introduction of spin has slowed things down.

CSK 61/0 after 8 overs: Another good over for KKR, this time Varun concedes just five. The Chennai batters not taking risks against the mystery spinners.

CSK 56/0 after 7 overs: Sunil Narine joins the attack and concedes six singles in his first over. Cause for concern for KKR as Rahul Tripathi is off the field. He seemed to have pulled a muscle in his leg while fielding. Kamlesh Nagarkoti is the substitute.

CSK 50/0 after 6 overs: Varun was in the middle of a good over but he overstepped on one, yet again, and du Plessis smacked the free-hit straight over for four. Eight runs come from that over. That’s the end of the powerplay, CSK will surely be the happier team at the moment.

CSK 42/0 after 5 overs: Mavi, who conceded just three runs in his first over, returns to the attack and gives away eight in his second. Du Plessis manages to pick up a boundary by hitting one just over mid-on. The in-form Varun Chakravarthy is joining the attack now.

Ruturaj Gaikwad crosses KL Rahul to clinch the Orange Cap!

CSK 34/0 after 4 overs: Another big over for Chennai! Gaikwad guides one past backward point for four before du Plessis plays a thumping cover drive to pick up his first boundary. Expensive start from Ferguson.

CSK 22/0 after 3 overs: Faf survives! Shakib beats him in the air but Karthik fails to gather the ball and complete the stumping. Big reprieve for Chennai! Gaikwad then punishes KKR with a sweep for four and a pull for six. The in-form right-hander is looking in fine touch again.

CSK 9/0 after 2 overs: Solid over from Mavi, just three runs from it. The grass on the pitch helping him get some nip. Shakib returning to bowl his second over.

CSK 6/0 after 1 over: Shot! Shakib drops one short and Gaikwad pulls/sweeps it past square-leg for four. But the left-arm spinner does well to concede just two runs more in the rest of the over. The pitch has a tinge of green and the ball seems to be coming on nicely to the bat. No turn as such in the first over.

7.29 pm: Right, we’re ready for play in Dubai! Faf du Plessis and Ruturaj Gaikwad are at the crease for Chennai. Shakib Al Hasan is opening the bowling for Kolkata. It all comes down to this. Here we go!

Almost time for live action...

Faf du Plessis will be key for Chennai. CSK will count on him to make his experience count in the big match...

7.08 pm: Chase to win. Six of the last seven matches in Dubai have seen the chasing side win.

Playing XIs:

Chennai Super Kings: Ruturaj Gaikwad, Faf du Plessis, Robin Uthappa, Moeen Ali, Ambati Rayudu, MS Dhoni (w/c), Ravindra Jadeja, Shardul Thakur, Dwayne Bravo, Deepak Chahar, Josh Hazlewood.

Kolkata Knight Riders: Shubman Gill, Venkatesh Iyer, Nitish Rana, Rahul Tripathi, Dinesh Karthik (w), Eoin Morgan (c), Shakib Al Hasan, Sunil Narine, Lockie Ferguson, Shivam Mavi, Varun Chakaravarthy.

7.04 pm: CSK are also unchanged.

7.03 pm: KKR are unchanged. Dhoni says CSK were also looking to bowl first.

Toss:

Eoin Morgan has won the toss and KKR will BOWL first!

6.56 pm: Pitch report – Matthew Hayden thinks it is a “cracking wicket” and 170 is on the cards.

Brief scores from IPL 2021 meetings:

Match No 15, Mumbai:

Chennai Super Kings: 220/3 in 20 overs (Faf du Plessis 95 not out, Ruturaj Gaikwad 64; Varun Chakravarthy 1/27).

Kolkata Knight Riders: 202 all out in 19.1 overs (Pat Cummins 66 not out, Andrew Russell 54; Deepak Chahar 4/29).

Match No 38, Abu Dhabi:

Kolkata Knight Riders: 171/6 in 20 overs (Rahul Tripathi 45, Nitish Rana 37 not out, Dinesh Karthik 26; Shardul Thakur 2/20).

Chennai Super Kings: 172/8 in 20 overs (Faf du Plessis 44, Ruturaj Gaikwad 40, Ravindra Jadeja 22; Sunil Narine 3/41).

6.35 pm: Hello and welcome to live coverage of the Indian Premier League 2021 final. Tonight, Mahendra Singh Dhoni’s Chennai Super Kings take on Eoin Morgan’s Kolkata Knight Riders in Dubai for the title. Will CSK win the IPL trophy for the fourth time or will KKR become three-time champions?