Chennai Super Kings hold their nerve against Delhi Capitals
Chennai Super Kings avenged their defeat of last week against Delhi Capitals to reach the IPL 2021 Final. Needing 173 runs for victory, the Men in Yellow clinched victory by four wickets with two balls to spare.
Shaw and Pant put Delhi in command
After denying Chennai Super Kings the top spot in the IPL standings in their previous encounter, Delhi were poised to make it two wins in a row against Dhoni’s men. However, their batting innings got off to the worst possible start when Shikhar Diwan was removed by Josh Hazlewood.
Moreover, the Australian bowler got rid of Shreyas Iyer to send the Capitals on the backfoot. However, Prithvi Shaw wasn’t bothered by the wickets tumbling on the other hand. The 21-year old was majestic for last year’s runner-ups as he scored 60 runs off 34 balls, with seven fours and three sixes.
Shaw found good support from the skipper, Rishabh Pant, who also reached his half-century off only 35 balls. Shimron Hetmeyer created further problems for the Super Kings as he scored 37 runs off 24 balls. Pant’s men finished off their innings with 172/5.
Gaikwad and Uthappa book Chennai’s ticket for the final
Requiring 173 runs to win, the three-time champions were sent on the back foot straight away as Faf du Plessis was shown the pavilion by Anrich Nortje in the first over. However, Ruturaj Gaikwad and Robin Uthappa created a 110-run partnership that brought Dhoni’s men back into the driver seat.
However, just as both the batsmen tried to put their foot on the accelerator, Chennai lost Uthappa. The right-handed batsman scored 63 runs off 44 balls, with seven fours and two sixes. On the other hand, Gaikwad continued his splendid run of form as he reached another half-century.
However, it wasn’t about individual records, it was about getting the team over the line. After losing Uthappa, the Super Kings fans had worried faces when two more batsmen (Shardul Thakur and Ambati Rayudu) left the pitch after adding just six more runs to the total.
In the last five overs, the Men in Yellow required 52 runs. As soon as we thought that they were going to crumble under pressure, they rose from the ashes. After Gaikwad left the crease at 149/5, all the responsibility fell onto the shoulders of the skipper, Dhoni. The Super Kings opener made 70 runs off 50 balls.
With so many questions on his form and whether he should promote himself up the batting order, the former Indian captain showed flashes of the form that made him arguably the greatest finisher in the history of the game.
With 13 runs required off the last over, the 2007 World T20 winning captain smashed three fours and guided his team into another IPL final.
