Kolkata Knight Riders have reached the final of Indian Premier League (IPL) 2021 with a three-wicket win over Delhi Capitals tonight.

In a last-over thriller, KKR managed to chase down 136 in 19.5 overs after Delhi pulled backed things in the final stage of the game with a flurry of wickets.

KKR had a great start with Shubman Gill and Venkatesh Iyer providing a 96-run stand.

Gill played run-a-ball innings of 46 while Iyer was aggressive in his approach.

He scored 55 off 41 with four boundaries and three maximums.

He was also awarded player of the match.

KKR will now play Chennai Super Kings in final on October 15 in Dubai.

“Doing what has been asked of me, extremely happy to have won the game. I was restricting myself, trying to bat till the end, but I realised that wasn’t me. I wanted to revert to the way I’ve been playing,” Iyer said.

Bowlers dominate Qualifier 2

KKR was successful in replicating the same bowling performance they did in Eliminator against Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB).

They restricted Delhi on 135/5 in 20 overs with Varun Chakravarthy bagging two wickets while pacers Lockie Ferguson and Shivam Mavi took a wicket each.

Delhi bowlers were also spot on with their line and lengths as they completely outshined KKR after Gill and Iyer’s opening stand. 

KKR lost six wickets in space of 44 and managed to score only 34 runs.

Kagiso Rabada impressed with 2/23 while Anrich Nortje bowled spell of 2/31.

Ravichandran Ashwin had seven runs to defend and he managed to bag two wickets in the final over but Rahul Tripathi smacked six off the fifth ball to hand KKR a chance of winning IPL for the third time.

Delhi captain, Rishabh Pant said – “Can’t change anything after the match. Always we kept on believing, and stayed in the game for as long as possible.”

“The bowlers pulled it back. They bowled really well through the middle overs. We were stuck, and unable to rotate the strike.”

Kolkata Knight Riders 136 for 7 (Venkatesh 55, Gill 46, Ashwin 2-27, Rabada 2-23. Nortje 2-31) beat Delhi Capitals 135 for 5 (Dhawan 36, Shreyas 30*, Varun 2-26) by three wickets.

Match preview –CSK v KKR

Chennai Super Kings (CSK) and Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) will lock horns in the final of 2021 Indian Premier League (IPL) at Dubai International Stadium on October 15.

CSK made it into the final with a four-wicket win over Delhi Capitals while KKR stunned Royal Challengers Bangalore and Delhi back to back in Sharjah for their third IPL final.

CSK has won IPL thrice while KKR claimed twice in 2012 and 2014

Best probable performers

Ruturaj Gaikwad

The right-hander is the find of the tournament as he stunned cricket lovers with his batting.

The 24-year-old has accumulated 603 runs and is now eyeing Orange Cap which is currently held by Punjab Kings’ captain KL Rahul (626 runs).

Gaikwad has four fifties and a century to his name.

He has batted flawlessly with a strike rate of 137.25 and averages 46.38, the highest average by a batter this season.

Varun Chakravarthy

The mystery spinner has been a key figure for KKR in the UAE leg where he has made crucial contributions.

The leggie has 18 wickets in 16 games, most by any KKR bowler this year.

He has bowled with an economy rate of 6.40.

Match Prediction

CSK have completely turned the tables after a poor performance in last season.

They have clicked in all departments with Gaikwad, Faf du Plessis, Ravindra Jadeja and Shardul Thakur stepping up when needed.

On the other hand, KKR have made an impressive comeback after a disappointing India leg.

They have won seven games out of nine in UAE.

Eoin Morgan side have momentum in their favour but CSK look a commanding team and will most likely to lift the title for fourth time.