Chennai Super Kings (CSK) becomes the first team to qualify for final after they beat table topper Sunrises Hyderabad (SRH) in Qualifier 1 on Tuesday at Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai. With the victory, CSK reaches the final for a record seventh time in their nine years of play.
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Winning the toss, CSK opted to bowl and chase down the target looking at the condition. CSK bowlers did a terrific work by restricting the opponents in just 139. Carlos Brathwaite was the lone warrior who scored an unbeaten 43 runs off just 29 deliveries to take his team to a respected total.
Coming to chase, the men in yellow lost their wickets early and never got a chance to recover it. South African batsman Faf Du Plessis who got the chance to play made the most of it. He won the match for the team single handed by scoring unbeaten 67 off 42 balls. Shardul Thakur’s cameo of 15 off just 5 deliveries proved very crucial for the successful chase.
CSK players looked delightful after the victory and celebrated it. All-rounder Dwayne Bravo celebrated the victory by singing and dancing in the dressing room. A video was posted by the official Twitter handle of the franchise in which Bravo and Harbhajan were dancing in front of the CSK skipper. Dhoni is sitting on a chair and the players are paying a tribute to him.
The tweet read, “Champion’s groovy tribute to #Thala after getting through to the #Finale! #WhistlePodu #yellove @msdhoni.”
Returning after the 2-year ban, CSK again dominated the tournament and showed how the champions do a comeback. It will be 8th IPL final for the CSK skipper which is a record.
Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) and Rajasthan Royals (RR) will play Eliminator on Wednesday at Eden Gardens. The winning team will take on Sunrises Hyderabad in Qualifier 2 on May 25 at the same venue.
