The Indian Premier League (IPL) 2021 Final is set to be contested between Chennai Super Kings (CSK) and Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) at the Dubai International Stadium on Friday. CSK, led by three-time title-winning captain MS Dhoni, will aim to add a fourth in their bag. KKR, on the other hand, were twice victorious under former cricketer Gautam Gambhir’s reign in the previous years. However, despite having their names engraved on the trophy five times combined, both teams will enter the final with a lot to prove. Both captains, Dhoni and Morgan, have had sedate seasons with the bat to say the least and will be looking to contribute handsomely to their respective team’s efforts in the summit clash.
Dhoni will be looking to add more silverware towards the fag end of his playing career, while skipper Eoin Morgan will have his eyes set firmly on the coveted trophy after enduring one of his worst IPL seasons, batting-wise.
Here’s a look at all the IPL Final wins by both CSK and KKR in the tournament’s history:
IPL Final, 2010, CSK vs Mumbai Indians (MI):CSK won their first IPL trophy in 2010 when they defeated MI by 22 runs. Suresh Raina won the player of the match for his unbeaten knock of 57 runs in only 35 balls. CSK defended the 169-run target comfortably, as MI were restricted to only 146/9 in 20 overs.
IPL Final, 2011, CSK vs Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB): CSK became the first team in IPL history to have their hands on the trophy twice, and that too in two back-to-back seasons. They overcame RCB by 58 runs on the back of Murali Vijay’s superb 95 runs. RCB could score only 147/8 in reply to CSK’s 205 runs.
IPL Final, 2012, CSK vs KKR: In the only final contested between the two teams, KKR came out on top with a gritty performance to walk away as winners by five wickets in the final. Manvinder Bisla’s 89 run-knock proved to be decisive as KKR chased down CSK’s 190/3 with two balls to spare.
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IPL Final, 2014, Kings XI Punjab (Now Punjab Kings) vs KKR: The high-scoring final again went KKR’s way as they maintained their 100 percent record in both IPL finals while chasing big scores. Manish Pandey played the knock of his lifetime when he smashed 94 runs to help KKR chase down 200 runs with three wickets and three balls to spare.
IPL Final, 2018, Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) vs CSK: All-rounder Shane Watson made mockery of a high-profile run-chase when he smashed an unbeaten 117 runs off 57 balls to guide CSK to their third title in IPL cricket. CSK won by eight wickets and nine balls to spare as they chased down the 179-run target comfortably.
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