MS Dhoni struck 18 off six balls as Chennai Super Kings (CSK) defeated Rishabh Pant-led Delhi Capitals (DC) by four wickets in Qualifier 1 of Indian Premier League (IPL) 2021 at the Dubai International Stadium on Sunday, making it to the final with a superb victory.
Chasing 173, CSK got off to a bad start as Anrich Nortje removed in-form opening batsman Faf du Plessis in the first over.
But Robin Uthappa along with Ruturaj Gaikwad launched a counterattack and took CSK to 59/1 in the first six overs. The duo continued their fine form and brought up the 100-run partnership with both batsmen smashing respective half-centuries.
However, in order to go for a six, Uthappa holed out to Shreyas Iyer in the deep in the 14th over. Iyer kept his nerve to complete the catch as he stepped in and out of the boundary.
Uthappa's wicket triggered a middle-order collapse Shardul Thakur and Ambati Rayudu departed in quick succession leaving CSK at 119/4.
In the end, Dhoni sealed the deal for CSK as the side entered the final with a four-wicket win over Delhi Capitals Earlier, Prithvi Shaw's stylish fifty and skipper Rishabh Pant late half-century helped Delhi Capitals post 172/5 against CSK.
Here are the top 5 players with the most runs (Orange Cap):
1. KL Rahul - 626
2. Ruturaj Gaikwad - 603
3. Shikhar Dhawan - 551
4. Faf du Plessis - 547
5. Glenn Maxwell - 498
Here are the top 5 players with the most wickets (Purple Cap):
1. Harshal Patel- 30
2. Avesh Khan - 23
3. Jasprit Bumrah - 21
4. Mohammed Shami - 19
5. Rashid Khan - 18
