OTD 2021: CSK lifted their fourth IPL title
Chennai Super Kings are the second-most successful franchise in IPL history and are quite consistent since the maiden edition of the tournament. They have reached the playoffs in every edition till the 2019 IPL before the 2020 edition in UAE proved to be an eye-opener for the franchise. The MS Dhoni-led side did not qualify for the playoffs for the first time in IPL history and their performance was nothing more than disappointing.
While many felt that Chennai Super Kings had lost their supremacy in the tournament, they came back strong in the next season. Ruturaj Gaikwad was promoted up the order and it proved to be a sensational move as he finished as the top run-getter in the season while his partner Faf du Plessis finished two runs short of him in the Orange Cap race. As far as the bowling was concerned, Shardul Thakur was the go-to man and he had a stellar season to end up in the top five in the race for the purple cap.
Chennai Super Kings ended in the second position in the league stages after winning nine out of their 14 games and they had a better net run rate than RCB. CSK were the first side to make the finals after beating Delhi Capitals in Qualifier 1 while Kolkata Knight Riders qualified for the finals after going past two obstacles.
It was all set for the final at the Dubai International Stadium and CSK batted first. The opening pair registered another fifty-run partnership and the stage were set for a big finish. Faf du Plessis dismantled the KKR bowling attack with an 86-run knock while some good hits from Robin Uthappa (31*) and Moeen Ali (37*) helped CSK post 192 for 3 in their 20 overs.
The KKR side started off splendidly with the openers Shubman Gill and Venkatesh Iyer reaching half centuries and they put on a stand of 91 runs for the first wicket. However, a flurry of wickets left KKR tottering at 125 for 8 and the game was gone out of their hands in the 17th over. CSK went onto win their fourth title on this day (October 15) and continued their dominance in IPL.
