Picture Credit: BCCI/IPL/Hotstar
IPL 2021 will forever go down in the history books as a season of redemption and comeback. After failing to qualify for playoffs last season, MS Dhoni's side turned their season around in 12 months time as they went on to clinch their 4th ever IPL title. After 2010, 2011 and 2018, it was time for 2021 to also turn completely Yellow in UAE.
While CSK's fairytale turn around will be remembered for ages, their opponent's run this season was nothing short of any miracle. After registering only 2 wins in first 7 matches in India, the campaign was almost done and dusted for Eoin Morgan's side. No one was even considering them in the race of play-offs before the UAE leg of tournament began.
KKR had a dream run in UAE leg of IPL 2021
However, such was the audacity and mindset of a side coached by Brendon McCullum that they refused to give up despite their backs against the wall. The Men in Purple showed fantastic courage to script a remarkable fightback as they went on to win 5 out of 7 matches in league stages to qualify for playoffs.
Their dream run continued as they knocked out two of the most impressive sides of the tournament in form of Royal Challengers Bangalore and Delhi Capitals in Eliminator and Qualifier 2 respectively to book their berth in the grand finale.
Huge credit to the coaches, team and support staff: MSD
Although they might have fell short in the finale, the Men in Purple won everyone's hearts with their incredible performances in UAE. The young and courageous side stunned everyone and had such a huge impact that even CSK captain MS Dhoni went on to claim that Eoin Morgan's side deserved to be the champions this season.
The 40-year-old began the post-match conference by stating, "Before I start talking about CSK, need to talk about KKR. Difficult to come back and do what they have. If any team deserved to win the IPL, it's KKR. Huge credit to the coaches, team and support staff. The break really helped them."
It was indeed a great gesture by MSD to acknowledge the outstanding efforts of their opponents in last few weeks. While KKR would certainly be heartbroken with their defeat in the final, the comments by CSK captain would certainly make them feel proud of what they managed to achieve this season.