Stephen Fleming on Friday became the most successful coach in the Indian Premier League after Chennai Super Kings beat Kolkata Knight Riders by 27 runs to win their fourth title in Dubai. Stephen Fleming, who has been CSK coach since 2009, surpassed Mumbai Indians coach Mahela Jayawardene with his fourth title – 2010, 2011, 2018, and 2021.
Stephen Fleming is the most successful coach of IPL. Under his guidance CSK won 4 IPL Title ( 2010,2011,2018, 2021) and one CLT20 (2010).
Stephen Fleming Wins 4th IPL Title As Coach Surpassing MI’s Mahela Jayawardene Who Has 3 Titles
“We have had a number of finals, but crossing the line is what you want to conquer. There has been a bit of criticism about the age of players on our side, but the players have stepped up. We value youth, but experience is very important. We don’t go too deep into the numbers, analytics, but are a team more on instincts. Yes we are a bit old school in that sense but it works for us in this group,” Fleming said after the match.
The four-time champions’ 2020 campaign was disastrous as they could not reach the playoffs for the first time in IPL history. They finished seventh in the rankings, and MS Dhoni’s captaincy reign came under question. But they turned it around in IPL 2021 in style, finishing as winners lifting the elusive trophy for the 4th time.
In the IPL 2021, the likes of CSK openers Ruturaj Gaikwad (635 runs) and Faf du Plessis (633 runs) finished as leading run-getters in IPL 2021. Moeen Ali (357 runs), Ambati Rayudu (257 runs) also delivered in crunch situations. Dwayne Bravo (14), Deepak Chahar(14), Ravindra Jadeja(13), Josh Hazlewood(11), and Shardul Thakur(21) were amongst the wickets.
Faf du Plessis Anchored Chennai’s Innings With 86 Off 59 Balls In IPL 2021 Finals
Put into bat, Chennai amassed 192-3 with opener Faf du Plessis anchoring their innings with 86 off 59 balls. Ruturaj Gaikwad made 32, while Robin Uthappa (31) and Moeen Ali (37 not out) chipped in with useful cameos. Kolkata, led by England white-ball captain Eoin Morgan, got off to a flying start with a 91-run stand between openers Shubman Gill and Venkatesh Iyer before wheels came off their innings finished on 165-9.
Eoin Morgan made four runs, and only four Kolkata batsmen managed double-digit scores. Shardul Thakur returned 3-38, while Ravindra Jadeja claimed 2-37 and took two stunning catches to hurt Kolkata. It was a dream comeback for the Men in Yellow as CSK, who missed out on the play-offs berth for the first time in the history of the tournament in 2020, romped to the title in 2021, making a statement once again.
MS Dhoni’s men came up with a nearly spotless campaign as they qualified for the play-offs ahead of the chasing pack and asserted their dominance in the knockout stages before eventually winning IPL 2021.