IPL 2021: 3 CSK players who had an impactful final
The 2021 edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) came to a fitting finish as the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) beat Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) to win their fourth IPL title on Friday in Dubai.
MS Dhoni & Co. produced a complete effort on the final day to take the franchise to glory. Riding on Faf du Plessis' brilliant display of batting, Robin Uthappa and Moeen Ali's late impetus, CSK posted 192 runs on the board.
In reply, KKR got off to a flying start but CSK bowlers made a timely comeback to take the game home. Shardul Thakur picked up three wickets, while Ravindra Jadeja and Josh Hazlewood scalped two each to restrict Kolkata to 165 runs, thus winning the game by 27 runs.
Super Chennai Boys 💛💛💛💛
#SuperCham21ons
#CSKvKKR #WhistlePodu #Yellove🦁 https://t.co/1aO3T7MX6H
Also Check: IPL Live Score | IPL 2021 stats | IPL Captains
On that note, let's take a look at 3 CSK players who had a massive impact on Friday's final against KKR.
#1 Faf du Plessis
Fafever Young Du Class 🔥💛 M.O.M!
#CSKvKKR #WhistlePodu #Yellove🦁 @faf1307 https://t.co/v4wcVBwgM2
CSK's title-winning campaign can mostly be attributed to Faf du Plessis and Ruturaj Gaikwad's consistent performances throughout the season. Along with Gaikwad, who won the Orange Cap, Du Plessis was at the top of his game.
In Friday's final, the former Proteas captain once again stepped up to the task, playing a gem of a knock. He scored 86 runs off 59 deliveries to carry the CSK innings on his shoulders. The Super Kings eventually posted 192 runs, which, in the end, proved too much for the Kolkata Knight Riders.
Faf du Plessis was adjudged the Player of the Match for his fabulous innings that set up the final. Speaking at the post-match presentation ceremony, he said:
"That was a great day. 100th IPL game, special day. I loved my time here at CSK, almost 10 years. No. 4 in the IPL trophy cabinet is really good."
Faf du Plessis finished with 633 runs from 16 games at an average of 45.21 with six half-centuries under his belt.
#2 Shardul Thakur
Death, taxes, and Lord Shardul with a double wicket over. The three certainties of life. #CSKvKKR #IPL2021Final
Shardul Thakur has emerged as one of the best pace-bowling all-rounders in Indian cricket in recent times. The cricketer from Palghar has stepped up to the task every time MS Dhoni has handed the ball over to him and Friday's final was no different.
At a time when KKR were well ahead in the run chase with 91/0 in 10 overs, Shardul Thakur dismissed Venkatesh Iyer and Nitish Rana in the 11th over from where they never recovered. Eventually, the purple brigade fell short by 27 runs.
Thakur finished with 3/38 to take his wickets tally to 21 from 16 games in IPL 2021.
#3 Moeen Ali
The English all-rounder's addition to the CSK set-up has been a massive boost this year. Moeen Ali scored runs, picked up wickets and grabbed important catches to justify his selection.
The southpaw provided late momentum into the innings which put CSK on top of the game. Moeen scored an unbeaten 37 off 20 balls, including two boundaries and three sixes in the death, to take Chennai's total to 192 runs.
Overall, Moeen Ali has amassed 357 runs from 15 games and has also chipped in with six crucial wickets, bowling at an economy rate of 6.35.