Chennai Super Kings (CSK) had hoped to book their spot in the playoffs with a win against Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) on Sunday (May 14), but the plan went haywire after the hosts were outplayed by six wickets in the final league stage match at Chepauk for the season.

Batting first after winning the toss, CSK scored 144/6 in 20 overs with Shivam Dube (48*) and Devon Conway (30) making valuable contributions. However, there was no big innings and that proved to be the main reason behind the sub-par total.

KKR responded strongly in the chase as they sealed a 6-wicket win with nine balls to spare as captain Nitish Rana and Rinku Singh struck superb fifties to get their team past the line and stay alive in the tournament with their sixth win overall.

WATCH - Sunil Gavaskar takes MS Dhoni's autograph on his shirt during CSK's lap of honour

CSK had hoped to sign off from the league stage at home with the best result but it was not to be, and the team will now have to beat Delhi Capitals in their last match or hope for other results to go their way to qualify for the playoffs, with Qualifier 1 and Eliminator scheduled to be hosted in Chennai.

CSK captain MS Dhoni and his teammates expressed their gratitude towards the local fans who filled the Chepauk Stadium for the seven games, four of which resulted in wins for the home team. Dhoni's retirement speculation continues in the meantime, and the Chennai fans had an extra reason to come and watch their hero play live. 

After the match got over, Dhoni and the CSK team members took a lap of honour around the ground, throwing tennis balls and memorabilia towards the fans in the stands who waited for the special moment to see their team up close.

CSK will play an away match against Delhi Capitals on May 20 in their final league stage match, and will hope to win to book their playoffs spot and hopefully finish in the top two as well.