The IPL superstars Chennai Super Kings had a season to forget at UAE in 2020. They became the first team to get knocked out of the tournament in the previous season. Bouncing back strongly this year, CSK became the first team to officially qualify for the playoffs in the 2021 edition on Thursday.

The three-time winners made it to the qualifiers following their six-wicket win against Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) at the Sharjah Cricket Stadium, their ninth victory in this season. Chennai won nine of their 11 games in IPL 2021 to take their win percentage to 81.8 - the highest for any IPL team in any season. Yesterday's game also implied that Sunrisers have officially been eliminated from the race to the playoffs.

CSK had finished seventh in the points table in IPL 2020, losing eight of their 14 league games. It was the first time that MS Dhoni's men failed to qualify for the playoffs in their 11-season appearance. They had one of the worst net run rates in the 2020 edition. But now the former Indian skipper's team owns the points table by topping it with the highest point tally and net run rate.

After the disastrous 2020 season, Thala Dhoni said, "We will come back strong. That's what we are known for." Now, MSD stated, "It means a lot, because the last time, we said we wanted to come back strong. We are known for that and there was a lot at stake. You won't always win games and a lot didn't go our way last time, and it's important not to make excuses and we have done that this year. The boys did well to keep the momentum going, and they've taken responsibilities to keep all departments of the game in balance so the players and the support staff get the credit. The bounce of the wicket was different - instead of knee height, it was shin height, and once the batsmen figured out that they have to hit straight, they succeeded. The bowlers tried to swing it up front and got hit straight when they pitched it up too much, but then adjusted very well. I told the bowlers that they needed to exploit the conditions in today's game. If the odd ball stopped early on, it started coming onto the bat later. Not much needs to be said of the fans, who have supported us through thick and thin and I'm glad we have repaid their faith," in the post-match presentation after clinching the victory against the orange army.