Openers Ruturaj and Faf shine as CSK notches up its fifth successive win
Chennai Super Kings came up with a consummate performance to decimate Sunrisers Hyderabad by seven wickets and nine balls to spare in the IPL in New Delhi on Wednesday.
In doing so, Chennai recorded its fifth win on the trot to reclaim its top position on the table. Hyderabad, on the other hand, remains at the bottom after having lost five in six matches.
Setting off in pursuit of 172, Chennai’s openers Ruturaj Gaikwad 75 (44b, 12x4) and Faf du Plessis 56 (38b, 6x4, 1x6) got off the blocks at a frenetic pace, dealing in boundaries. The duo added 129 runs in 13 overs before Rashid Khan removed Gaikwad. At the completion of the powerplay, Chennai was well-placed at 50 for no loss.
du Plessis was initially the more aggressive of the duo, but it wasn’t long before Gaikwad opened up and soon overtook his more senior partner. In the seventh over bowled by left-arm spinner J Suchith, Gaikwad shifted gears, slamming a couple of fours.
Both the Chennai openers targeted Suchith and put him under pressure by taking 17 runs off his second over with du Plessis hitting a four and a six, and Gaikwad carting a four of his own. At the halfway mark, Chennai was going great guns at 91 for no loss. Gaikwad then started cutting loose, hitting a flurry of boundaries off both Suchith and Rashid.
In a span of two overs, Gaikwad put on a show of batting masterclass, smacking six boundaries to all but seal the Hyderabad team’s fate. Although Rashid took two wickets in his last over, the damage had already been done. Towards the end, Suresh Raina and Ravindra Jadeja guided their team without losing further wickets.
Earlier, Hyderabad rode on contrasting half-centuries from Manish Pandey and skipper David Warner along with a cameo from Kane Williamson to post 171 for three.
Warner (57 off 55 balls) and Pandey (61 off 46 balls) added 106 runs for the second wicket, but it was Williamson’s 26 not out off 10 balls and Kedar Jadhav’s 12 off four balls which ensured a competitive total for Hyderabad.
Lungi Ngidi was the best bowler for CSK, returning figures of two for 35 from four overs while Sam Curran (1/30) got the other wicket. Warner, who passed 10,000 T20 runs during the course of his innings, appeared frustrated at times at the inability to force the pace. His 50th IPL half-century had three fours and two sixes, but it was not his usual aggressive, bustling knock.
BRIEF SCORES: Sunrisers Hyderabad 171/3 in 20 overs (M Pandey 61, D Warner 57) lost to Chennai Super Kings 173/3 in 18.3 overs (R Gaikwad 75, Faf du Plessis 56)