IPL 2021 final: CSK vs KKR - Head to head record, trivia, stats and squads

MS Dhoni's Chennai Super Kings (CSK) will be gunning for their fourth Indian Premier League (IPL) title when they lock horns with Eoin Morgan-led Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) in the final of IPL 2021 on Friday (October 15). Two of the finest captains of the modern era, Dhoni and Morgan will be battling for supremacy at the Dubai International Stadium in Dubai.

KKR and CSK have had contrasting campaigns in IPL 2021 so far. While Dhoni & Co. finished second on the table during the league stages and qualified for the playoffs comfortably, KKR won five of their seven matches in the UAE leg to enter the playoffs despite a woeful start to the season.

CSK were the first to secure a spot in the final of IPL 2021 after defeating the Delhi Capitals in the first Qualifier. KKR, on the other hand, registered back-to-back wins in the playoffs. The Morgan-led side defeated Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) in the Eliminator before beating Delhi Capitals in the second Qualifier to book a spot in the final against CSK.

CSK will be playing their ninth final while KKR will be up in their third final in the IPL. CSK have so far won three trophies while KKR have two titles under their belt and will be looking to equal CSK's tally with a victory in Dubai on Friday. The final promises to be a blockbuster affair.

Here is all you need to know about the IPL 2021 final between CSK and KKR: 

Head to head:

CSK enjoy a clear edge over Kolkata Knight Riders when it comes to the head-to-head record between the two sides. MS Dhoni & Co. have won 16 matches out of 24 meetings against KKR. KKR had defeated CSK in the last meeting between the two sides in a final.

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Stats:

CSK opener Ruturaj Gaikwad has been enjoying a purple patch in IPL 2021 and stands just 23 runs away from toppling KL Rahul on top of the list of highest run-getters this season. Gaikwad has 603 runs from 15 matches this season and will be looking to clinch the Orange Cap in the final.

Trivia:

Chennai Super Kings (CSK) have been unbeaten this season against Kolkata Knight Riders. However, the last time when KKR and CSK met in a final, KKR had emerged on top in 2016. CSK will be hoping to exact their revenge this season.

Squads:

Chennai Super Kings: Ruturaj Gaikwad, Faf du Plessis, Robin Uthappa, Moeen Ali, Ambati Rayudu, MS Dhoni(w/c), Ravindra Jadeja, Shardul Thakur, Dwayne Bravo, Deepak Chahar, Josh Hazlewood, Suresh Raina, Cheteshwar Pujara, Karn Sharma, Imran Tahir, Jason Behrendorff, Krishnappa Gowtham, Lungi Ngidi, Mitchell Santner, Ravisrinivasan Sai Kishore, Hari Nishanth, N Jagadeesan, KM Asif, Harishankar Reddy, Dominic Drakes, Bhagath Varma
 

Kolkata Knight Riders: Shubman Gill, Venkatesh Iyer, Nitish Rana, Rahul Tripathi, Dinesh Karthik(w), Eoin Morgan(c), Shakib Al Hasan, Sunil Narine, Lockie Ferguson, Shivam Mavi, Varun Chakravarthy, Andre Russell, Harbhajan Singh, Tim Southee, Ben Cutting, Karun Nair, Pawan Negi, Kuldeep Yadav, Gurkeerat Singh Mann, Sheldon Jackson, Sandeep Warrier, Tim Seifert, Prasidh Krishna, Rinku Singh, Kamlesh Nagarkoti, Vaibhav Arora