CHENNAI PREVAIL
Dubai, UAE - Chennai Super Kings returned to winning ways after they defeated Sunrisers Hyderabad by 20 runs on Tuesday.
Needing 168 runs to win, Sunrisers’ Jonny Bairstow was quick off the blocks, hitting two fours in the second and third over. However, Chennai struck twice in the fourth over. First, Sam Curran had Sunrisers skipper David Warner caught on his bowling and then, Dwayne Bravo’s brilliantly caught Manish Pandey short of his crease.
Kane Williamson announced his arrival in style, punching a ball through the covers for four. He and Bairstow brought up his side’s fifty in the eighth over. But Ravindra Jadeja ended the stand in the tenth over after he broke through Bairstow’s defence.
In Jadeja’s next over, Williamson creamed two fours – one over the leaping extra cover and another more clinical, landing closer to the boundary rope to push Hyderabad to 76 for three after 12 overs. Two overs later, Priyam Garg and Williamson hit a four each.
Garg though, then was caught in the deep in the 15th over as Karn Sharma scalped his first wicket of the match. Needing 67 runs off the last five overs, Hyderabad had their hopes pinned on Williamson and Vijay Shankar.
Shankar and Williamson could score only eight in the 16th over before the former clubbed a six off Bravo on the first ball of the next over. But, Shankar was out in the same over as Jadeja held a catch at the third man.
Williamson brought up his 50 as Hyderabad moved to 122 at the end of the 17th over. But going for a big shot, Williamson was dismissed in the next over as Karn picked his second wicket.
Rashid Khan announced his arrival in the middle with a six and then followed it up with a four, courtesy a reverse sweep. Shahbaz Nadeem hit the last ball for four as Hyderabad fetched 19 runs in the 18th over.
With 27 required off the last two overs, Chennai skipper MS Dhoni gave the responsibility to Shardul Thakur, who conceded just five runs, which included a wicket of Rashid, who was hit-wicket. Bravo, then closed out the game, bowling a one-run final over to seal a clinical win for Chennai.
Earlier, Super Kings made a change to their batting order as Sam Curran walked out to bat with Faf du Plessis.
The former South African skipper did not face a ball till the conclusion of the two overs and then, got out on the first ball he faced in the third over, after edging one to Jonny Bairstow off Sandeep Sharma’s bowling.
Meanwhile, Curran, after a slow start, went after Khaleel Ahmed in the fourth over, hitting two sixes and as many fours. However, in the fifth over, Sandeep broke through Curran’s defence and ended the left-hander’s 21-ball 31-run innings.
Ambati Rayudu was quick to get off the blocks, hitting two fours from the first five deliveries he faced. Shane Watson, then played his pick-up shot over the leg-side to hit a six as Chennai moved past 50 in the seventh over.
Rayudu got a life in the next over after Bairstow could not hold on to a catch in Nadeem’s second over.
Watson too survived a chance in the 11th over, as Rashid spilled a tough chance.
Rayudu and Watson then hit a six each in the next two overs while Rayudu creamed a four in the 13th over to take Chennai past hundred. Rashid conceded two sixes in his final over as Rayudu and Watson scored 14 from the 15th over.
However, Sunrisers managed to strike in quick succession to dismiss the two. While Khaleel had Rayudu caught at long-off for 41, T Natarajan got Watson out for 42 in the 17th over.
Chennai skipper Dhoni hit two fours and then slammed a huge six off Natarajan to push his side past 150 in the 19th over, but got out on the next delivery after scoring 21 off 13 balls.
Chennai scored 15 off the last over, with Jadeja blasting an unbeaten 25 off ten deliveries, to post 167, a total they managed to defend.