Sunrisers Hyderabad were on course for an easy victory with the Chennai Super Kings reeling at 97/7 in 17 overs in Qualifier 1 of the Indian Premier League in Mumbai on Tuesday.
Not many would have bet against the Sunrisers losing the game. But a puzzling move by Captain Kane Williamson proved decisive.
The New Zealander entrusted part-time medium pacer Carlos Brathwaite the responsibility of bowling the 18th over, with CSK needing 43 from 3 for victory.
The well-set Faf du Plessis took on Brathwaite -- who had hit the Sunrisers out of trouble earlier in the evening -- bludgeoning him for 3 fours and a six in the over which went for 20 runs.
That blitz turned the game on its head.
With 23 needed from 2 overs for victory there was no stopping the South African skipper who -- in Shardul Thakur's unlikely company -- steered CSK to victory.
Siddarth Kaul went for 17 runs in the 19th over, leaving Bhuvneshwar Kumar just 6 to defend in the final over.
Du Plessis smashed Bhuvneshwar for a straight six to take CSK to its seventh IPL final and an amazing comeback to the tournament after a two-year ban.