The past week has been about stunning comebacks in the world of sport. Liverpool stunned all, coming off a 3-0 deficit to beat Barcelona 4-3 on aggregate. Tottenham Hotspur pulled off a second-half thriller beating a young Ajax side on away goal advantage.
Meanwhile, halfway across the world, the atmosphere in Vishakapatnam was electric. It wasn't a home game for Chennai Super Kings but the yellow army needs no invitation to make a space their own.
Why wouldn't they? The men in yellow pulled off an emphatic six-wicket win over Delhi Capitals in qualifier 2 of the IPL Playoffs, thereby earning a place in the final on Sunday.
CSK will face Mumbai Indians in the final, making this their fourth meeting in the season.
READ | IPL Qualifier 2 As it happened: CSK vs DC
Dhoni and his boys did not get here effortlessly though. The road to the playoffs wasn't difficult, but had its share of ups and downs.
After dominating the tournament and sitting pretty on top in the points table, a string of losses pushed it down to second place and it suffered a loss against Mumbai Indians in qualifier 1.
With four losses in its last seven games with the former West Indies legend Sir Vivian Richards urging CSK to pull off an encore of Liverpool's heroics in the Champions League semifinal.
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“This is a clash of experience against youth and DCs energy has made a big difference for them throughout the tournament,” said Richards in a column for Times of India.
Dealing with a young Delhi Capitals side was not going to be easy and the Super Kings needed to make tactful decisions according to Sir Richards.
“CSK will have to match that energy in cricketing terms. They have plenty of experience and a guy like Dhoni with the kind of ability he has can single-handedly steer a game,” said the 67-year-old former West Indies captain.
“But in these knockout games, team work often makes all the difference. Just look at how Liverpool beat Barcelona in the Champions League.”
Chennai followed suit and delivered a spirited performance against the Capitals to secure its place in Sunday's final.
Man of the match - Faf du Plessis, Shane Watson and the CSK's spin trio of Harbhajan, Tahir and Jadeja contributed to the six-wicket win over the Capitals, which is the franchise's 100th in the IPL.
The team will hope to keep the momentum going as it gears up to battle for a fourth IPL title against Mumbai Indians in Hyderabad on Sunday.
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