Chennai Super Kings (CSK) entered their record 9th IPL final on Sunday night after beating Delhi Capitals in Qualifier 1 by four wickets. The three-time champions silenced all their critics by becoming the first team to qualify for the finals this season.
The way MS Dhoni finished the contest in the last over brought back the old memories. In his 18-run unbeaten knock, he smashed three boundaries and a six to help CSK to reach the target of 173 with three balls to spare.
Except in 2020, CSK has qualified for every IPL play-off. This year many players pulled back and performed brilliantly to win matches. CSK finished second in the league stages by winning 9 out of 14 games.
Chennai will now play finals against Kolkata Knight Riders on October 15 in a bid to clinch the title for the fourth time.
As Chennai has already made it into the finale of IPL 2021, let's look at the journey of the team in this year's tournament.
Match 1: CSK vs DC (April 10, 2021 at Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai)
Chennai Super Kings lost by 7 wickets.
Match 2: CSK vs PBKS (April 16, 2021 at Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai)
Chennai Super Kings won by 6 wicket.
Match 3: CSK vs RR (April 19, 2021 at Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai)
Chennai Super Kings won by 45 runs.
Match 4: CSK vs KKR (April 21, 2021 at Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai)
Chennai Super Kings won by 18 runs.
Match 5: CSK vs RCB (April 25, 2021 at Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai)
Chennai Super Kings won by 69 runs.
Match 6: CSK vs SRH (April 28, 2021 at Arun Jaitley Stadium, Delhi)
Chennai Super Kings won by 7 wickets.
Match 7: CSK vs MI (May 1, 2021 at Arun Jaitley Stadium, Delhi)
Chennai Super Kings lost by 4 wickets.
Match 8: CSK vs MI (September 19, 2021 at Dubai International Stadium, Dubai)
Chennai Super Kings won by 20 runs.
Match 9: CSK vs RCB (September 24, 2021 at Sharjah Cricket Stadium, Sharjah)
Chennai Super Kings won by 6 wickets.
Match 10: CSK vs KKR (September 26, 2021 at Zayed Cricket Stadium, Abu Dhabi)
Chennai Super Kings won by 2 wickets.
Match 11: CSK vs SRH (September 30, 2021 at Sharjah Cricket Stadium, Abu Dhabi)
Chennai Super Kings won by 6 wickets.
Match 12: CSK vs RR ( October 2, 2021 at Zayed Cricket Stadium, Abu Dhabi)
Chennai Super Kings lost by 7 wickets.
Match 13: CSK vs DC (October 4, 2021 at Dubai International Stadium, Dubai)
Chennai Super Kings lost by 3 wickets.
Match 14: CSK vs PBKS (October 7, 2021 at Dubai International Stadium, Dubai)
Chennai Super Kings won by 6 wickets.
Qualifier 1: CSK vs DC (October 10, 2021 at Dubai International Stadium, Dubai)
Chennai Super Kings won by 4 wickets.
