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Updated October 15th, 2021 at 13:18 IST

IPL 2021 Final, CSK vs KKR: How can CSK defeat KKR to lift IPL 2021 trophy?

Former champions Chennai Super Kings have faced the Kolkata Knight Riders in 25 IPL matches. CSK has the upper hand in terms of numbers

Reported by: Karthik Nair
How can CSK win IPL 2021?
Image: AP | Image:self
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The Chennai Super Kings would be eyeing their fourth title when they lock horns with three-time winners Kolkata Knight Riders in the IPL 2021 final at the Dubai International Stadium on Friday.

Ahead of the high-voltage CSK vs KKR IPL summit clash, let's find out what are the chances of CSK holding the IPL trophy aloft once again.

IPL 2021 Final: How can CSK win the title this year?

The team that plays the best cricket in Friday's final will leave Dubai as the new IPL champions. However, in CSK's case, they would be hoping for a revival of fortune from the position that they were in during the 2012 edition where they failed to cross the final hurdle against KKR. Chennai was hoping to win their third straight IPL crown but, Kolkata dented their hopes.

So without further ado, lets' take a look at how the Chennai Super Kings and Kolkata Knight Riders were placed in the playoffs and the final of the 2012 season.

CSK vs KKR: Road to IPL 2012 final

KKR had finished second in the points table after the league stages while CSK finished fourth. Kolkata then went on to beat Delhi (then known as Daredevils) in Qualifier 1 batting first and directly qualified for the final. Chennai on the other hand beat Mumbai Indians batting first in the Eliminator and then got the better of Delhi batting first in Qualifier 2 to earn a final berth. Dhoni & Co. went down to KKR in the summit clash by five wickets as the Gautam Gambhir-led side won their maiden IPL title.

CSK vs KKR: Road to IPL 2021 Final

Fast forward to 2021 and both teams are having contrasting fortunes. CSK had finished second in the points table post the league phase while KKR finished fourth. Chennai then went on beat Delhi Capitals in Qualifier 1 batting second to earn a direct entry into the grand finale. Kolkata Knight Riders on the other hand won both their knockout games chasing. They handed a four-wicket defeat to Royal Challengers Bangalore in the Eliminator and then edged past Delhi Capitals by three wickets in Qualifier 2 for setting up a title clash against MS Dhoni & Co.

CSK IPL 2021 stats

CSK finished the league stages at the second position behind Delhi Capitals with nine wins and five losses from their 14 matches with 18 points to their title and since they managed a top-two finish, the three-time winners got a chance to play the Qualifier 1 where they beat DC by four wickets with two balls to spare to qualify for their ninth IPL final.

CSK vs KKR head-to-head stats

While KKR had got the better of CSK in the IPL 2012 final, it is Chennai Super Kings who have the upper hand when it comes to the overall head-to-head encounters. Out of the 25 faceoffs between both sides, CSK has won 16 of them whereas Kolkata has ended up on the winning side on eight occasions. One game between CSK and KKR was abandoned without a single ball being bowled.

Coming back to IPL 2021, the MS Dhoni-led side had got the better of Eoin Morgan & Co by 18 runs and two wickets respectively in two matches in the league stages. 

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Published October 15th, 2021 at 11:15 IST

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