The Super Kings, after winning the toss and electing to field first, restricted New York to 163-8 from their 20 overs.
Rashid Khan (55) and Monank Patel (48) were the top run scorers for MI against an important 2-18 off four overs from Marcus Stoinis. Aaron Hardie also took two wickets while Dwayne Bravo finished with 1-21 from 1.3 overs.
Texas then needed only 18.3 overs to reach 167-1 thanks to a 47-ball 72 from du Plessis, his third fifty of the season, including six fours and three sixes.
That knock now brings du Plessis’s run total to 375 from seven games, form that he will hope translates to the Caribbean Premier League (CPL) where he will captain the St. Lucia Kings beginning August 29.
Devon Conway capitalized on some missed chances from the MI New York fielders to finish 51* while Hardie followed up his two wickets with 40* off 22 balls.
The Super Kings will now face the loser of the Qualifier between the Washington Freedom and San Francisco Unicorns in the Challenger on Friday for a place in Sunday’s final.
Full Scores:
MI New York 163-8 off 20 overs (Rashid Khan 55, Monank Patel 48, Marcus Stoinis 2-18, Aaron Hardie 2-22)
Texas Super Kings 167-1 off 18.3 overs (Faf du Plessis 72, Devon Conway 51*, Aaron Hardie 40*)
It is their first trip ever to an IPL final where they face four-time champions Mumbai Indians.
Hetmyer hit four fours and a six and shared in a 52-run partnership with Shikhar Dhawan who top scored for the Capitals with a 50-ball 78.
The half-century stand came up in just 25 balls with Hetmyer scoring 34 of them as the Capitals raced towards their match-winning total of 189 for 3.
Man of the Match Marcus Stoinis opened the batting with Dhawan and scored 38 from 27 balls. He and Dhawan scored 50 runs from just 29 balls and were 65 without loss after six overs. Stoinis was unbeaten on 33 and Dhawan 30.
The pair took the score to 86 when Stoinis was bowled by Rashid Khan in the ninth over.
Shreyas Iyer joined Dhawan and together they took the score to 126 when Jason Holder had Iyer caught at mid-off for 21.
Hetmyer and Dhawan then took the Sunrisers’ bowling to task scoring at just about 12 runs an over. The Guyanese batsman was particularly harsh on the West Indies captain hitting him for four fours in the 18th over that yielded 18 runs.
Dhawan was trapped lbw in the 19th over two balls after he was dropped at deep midwicket by Rashid Khan. The Capitals lost some momentum after that with only seven runs coming off the final over but managed a competitive total of 189 for 3.
Chasing 190, Sunrisers were immediately in trouble when the dangerous David Warner was bowled by Kagiso Rabada for 2 in the second over with the score at 12.
Three overs later, Sunrisers were in deeper trouble when Stoinis dismissed Priyam Garg (17) and Manish Pandey with the fourth and the sixth balls of the fifth over. At the break, Sunrisers were 64 for 3 from nine overs.
Holder stayed with Kane Williamson until the 12th over when he lost his wicket to Axar Patel for 11 and the Sunrisers 90 for 4.
Williamson and Abdul Samad put on a quick-fire 57 to bring Sunrisers back into the hunt. The 50-stand came up in just 27 balls but the chase began to unravel when Sunrisers lost their fifth wicket in the 17th over when Stoinis had Kane caught by Rabada for 67 with the score at 147.
At 167 for 5, Rabada inflicted the death blows when he had the wickets of Samad and Khan in successive deliveries as he finished with 4 for 29.
The double blow took the sting out of the Sunrisers attack and booked the Capitals spot in the finals.
Stoinis completed a good day with figures of 3 for 26.
Chasing a target of 152, the Stars were in a spot of trouble on 83-4 after losing the wickets of opener Marcus Stoinis for 31 and Captain Glen Maxwell to consecutive deliveries from Tanveer Sangha (2-20).
The powerfully built Jamaican successfully navigated Sangha’s hat-trick ball and then set about smashing a four and five sixes to guide his side to victory with 17 balls to spare.
Russell didn’t do it all by himself, though, as Hilton Cartwright contributed to the rearguard effort with 23 from just 13 balls as the Stars raced to 155-4. Together, he and Russell posted 72 from just 34 balls that saw the Stars pick up four valuable points.
In leading his side to victory, Russell also made up for the 38 runs he conceded from his four overs as the Thunder made 151-5.
Led by some lower-order hitting from Alex Ross who cleared the boundary on four occasions and hit the ropes another four times in his score of 77 that rescued the Thunder after Qais Ahmed (2-17), Brody Couch (2-26) and Maxwell (1-7) had reduced the Thunder to 65-4 by the 12th over.
Ross and Daniel Sams, the latter playing his part in the recovery scoring 22 from 18 balls, put on 84 from 48 balls before Sams was dismissed on the penultimate ball of the innings.
Australia's total of 241 for 4, their highest on home soil, set a challenging target for West Indies. Despite a valiant effort from West Indies captain Rovman Powell, Andre Russell, and Jason Holder, Australia's bowling attack, led by Marcus Stoinis with figures of 3-36, proved too strong for the Caribbean side.
The match featured late controversy when Alzarri Joseph was short of his ground attempting a tight single. However, umpire Gerard Abood ruled there had been no appeal, leading to heated scenes on the field. Despite the late drama, it did not affect the match's outcome.
Maxwell's innings, featuring eight sixes, was the second-highest T20I score for a batter at number or lower, equaling Rohit Sharma's record with a fifth T20I century. His dominating performance left West Indies with a challenging target, and despite Powell's attractive 63 off 36 balls, they fell short, finishing at 207 for 9.
The series victory for Australia, following their 11-run win in the first game at Bellerive Oval, marks a successful start to their T20 World Cup preparations. The third and final game of the series is scheduled to be played in Perth on Tuesday.
West Indies, facing an imposing total, came out swinging with aggressive batting early on. However, Australia's left-arm quick, Spencer Johnson, making his first appearance in a home international, showcased his talent with figures of 2 for 39. Johnson, who debuted for Australia late last year and starred for Brisbane Heat in the BBL, is emerging as a bowler of considerable interest across formats.
Despite West Indies' big-hitters like Andre Russell providing some fireworks, the team fell away in the face of Maxwell's relentless assault. Russell's entertaining 37 off 16 balls and Powell's glimmer of hope were not enough to overcome Australia's commanding performance.
In addition, Glenn Maxwell, Jhye Richardson, Kane Richardson, and Daniel Sams have also requested that they not be considered for the tours of the West Indies and Bangladesh for various reasons.
"We are naturally disappointed not to have all players available for the Australian team at this time however the National Selection Panel respects the decisions of those who have opted out of this tour," said head selector Trevor Hohns.
“Steve Smith was unavailable for selection due to an elbow injury and will now be able to use this time to fully recover ahead of the World Cup and home Ashes Series. Steve was disappointed to miss the tour with the decision made on medical grounds. International tours in the time of Covid-19 undoubtedly present many additional challenges for athletes.
"They also present opportunities for others and, in this case, the chance to push for selection in the Australian men’s T20 World Cup squad later this year and beyond. This is a great chance for these players to make a case for the World Cup and all are considered very real prospects of making that tournament by performing well across these tours.”
The 18-man squad comprises Aaron Finch (c) (Victoria), Ashton Agar (Western Australia), Wes Agar (South Australia), Jason Behrendorff (Western Australia), Alex Carey (South Australia), Dan Christian (New South Wales), Josh Hazlewood (New South Wales), Moises Henriques (New South Wales), Mitchell Marsh (Western Australia), Riley Meredith (Tasmania), Ben McDermott (Tasmania), Josh Philippe (Western Australia), Mitchell Starc (New South Wales), Mitchell Swepson (Queensland), Ashton Turner (Western Australia), Andrew Tye (Western Australia), Matthew Wade (Tasmania), and Adam Zampa (New South Wales).
Mitchell Marsh's side, who are hoping to follow in England's footsteps by capturing both limited-overs world titles after winning the ODI crown last year, slipped to 50-3 when Glenn Maxwell fell for a golden duck.
However, Stoinis (67 not out) teamed up with David Warner (56) to put on a partnership of 102 as they reached 164-5.
Stoinis was dropped soon after coming in and Oman would regret missing that opportunity as he smashed two fours and six maximums off his 36 deliveries faced.
The all-rounder was equally impressive with the ball, posting figures of 3-19, including the vital wicket of Oman skipper Aqib Ilyas (18) six overs in. Ayaan Khan hit 36 for Oman but their challenge was as good as over when he was bowled by Adam Zampa for his 300th T20 wicket.
However, Australia's win did come with an injury scare as Mitchell Starc left the field during his final over with an apparent calf issue, just three days out from their meeting with England in Barbados.
Data Debrief: Stoinis in exclusive club
Stoinis showed his talents as a true all-rounder on Wednesday, becoming just the third player to score 50 or more runs and take three or more wickets in a single T20 World Cup match, and the first since Shane Watson achieved the feat twice in 2012.
Hales believes having, Khan, the number-one ranked T20 bowler in their side is a massive boost for an already strong side.
“I have played against Rashid Khan a few times and had a season with him at Sunrisers Hyderabad. Any team that has Rashid Khan in it, you boost your chances of winning the competition,” Hales remarked.
“For me, he and Andre Russell are probably the two best T20 players in the world. So to have Rashid, particularly on the pitches that favour spin in the Caribbean he can an absolute handful. And he is fantastic in the field and obviously smacks a few at the end, so any team that has got him in their ranks seriously boosts their chances of winning.”
Hales is also very optimistic about the addition of Stoinis.
“We have signed Marcus Stoinis as well, and playing against him in the Big Bash, he was in the form of his life and scored runs in every game that he played. We seem to have got an even stronger squad somehow than we did last year. It is really exciting,” he said.
Hales will be linking up again with his Nottinghamshire teammate, Harry Gurney, for the 2020 tournament and he was full of praise for the left-arm seamer, saying he was crucial to their championship win. Gurney arrived for the home leg of the tournament at a time when the Tridents were far from certain of making the playoffs. Hales says his efforts helped guide them to the knockouts and beyond.
“Signing Harry Gurney was massive. He learns his trade on Trent Bridge, which is arguably the flattest pitch it the world. So, for him to bowl on probably bowler-friendly pitches was huge for us for him to come in for the back-end of the tournament.
“He played a massive part in us winning the whole thing. I think we can build on that for next year, knowing that if things don’t quite work out at the start of the tournament you have got time to figure it and not panic. And that is something Jason and Phil did really well, at no point did they get edgy or concerned about playing well at the start. Everyone kept a cool head and we really turned it on when it mattered which is a really good trait in a team.”
