Sharjah, Sep 30: Chennai Super Kings produced a convincing performance against Sunrisers Hyderabad to maintain their remarkable consistency this season and sail into the Indian Premier League play-offs here on Thursday.
The bowlers, led by Josh Hazlewood and Dwayne Bravo (2/17), restricted SRH to 134 for seven after M S Dhoni opted to bowl first on a slow surface.
Chasing the total, in-form openers Ruturaj Gaikwad and Faf du Plessis shared a sublime 75-run stand to give CSK an ideal start.
A mini collapse in the middle overs made the chase interesting before CSK got the job done in 19.4 overs with Dhoni (14*) hitting the winning six and bringing back memories of his heydays.
The three-time former champions thus ended the chase, scoring 139 for four, for a six-wicket win.
With their fourth win in as many games since the tournament’s resumption, CSK showed not making the play-offs last season was just a blip in their successful IPL history.
The Sharjah pitch, which produced high-scoring games last year, has been a complete contrast this season with its slow nature making stroke making difficult.
Batting in the second innings got easier with the fast-rising Gaikwad displaying supreme skills. Du Plessis too hit some cracking boundaries before falling to a tired shot.
From a commanding 103 for one, CSK slumped to 108 for four, making the dressing room slightly nervous. However, Ambati Rayudu (17) avoided a tense finish for his team with a six and four off Bhuvneswar Kumar in the 19th over.
Earlier, the SRH innings never got the momentum it needed. Wriddhiman Saha played some delightful shots in his 46-ball 44 but the SRH batsmen struggled to get going. (PTI)
Today’s Match:
KKR vs Punjab Kings
at 7:30 pm (IST)
