SUN STROKE FOR CSK
A dominant show from Hyderabad results in a 6-wicket loss for Chennai
HYDERABAD: Sunrisers Hyderabad earned a six-wicket win over Chennai Super Kings in the IPL here on Friday. Set to chase 166, Sunrisers got there comfortably with 11 balls remaining. This is Sunrisers’ second win in four matches, while Super Kings has suffered its second successive loss.
The impressive victory was fashioned by Sunrisers opener Abhishek Sharma who clobbered 37 off just 12 balls (3x4, 4x6). He was particularly severe on Super Kings pacer Mukesh Choudhary who conceded 27 runs in the only over he bowled. Former Sunrisers captain Aiden Markram also had a good outing scoring 50 (36b, 4x4, 1x6) and was involved in a 60-run partnership for the second wicket with Travis Head who contributed 31 (24b, 3x4, 1x6).
Earlier, the Super Kings batters failed to capitalise on their starts as they were restricted to 165 for 5.
In-form Shivam Dube top-scored with a 24-ball 45 while veteran Ajinkya Rahane contributed a sedate 35 off 30 balls after CSK was asked to bat on a pitch that didn’t seem like a proverbial belter. The duo’s 65-run partnership for the third wicket from just 6.3 overs was the only highlight of the CSK innings.
CSK added only 37 runs in the last five overs. But credit must be given to CSK’s all-season's man Ravindra Jadeja, whose unbeaten 31 off 23 balls was the added fillip that the defending champion needed at the end.
For SRH, it was a collective bowling effort with Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Pat Cummins, T Natarajan, Shahbaz Ahmed and Jaydev Unadkat taking a wicket apiece.
CSK made a decent start, reaching 25 for no loss in three overs before veteran pacer Bhuvneshwar gave SRH the breakthrough with his first wicket of the season in the form of Rachin Ravindra who sliced it straight to Markram in the first ball of the fourth over.
One down Rahane then hit SRH captain Cummins for a six in the fifth over. CSK took 15 runs from the sixth over bowled by Bhuvneshwar with Rahane and his captain Ruturaj Gaikwad hitting a four and a six respectively.
CSK was well-placed at 48 for 1 at the end of first powerplay but the introduction of spin in the form of Shahbaz did the trick as Gaikwad was out for 26 off 21 balls, with Abdul Samad taking a simple catch at long-on.
Rahane did score useful runs but never really looked fluent in his strokeplay as Bhuvneshwar, Unadkat and Natarajan took pace off their deliveries to stem the flow of runs.
Dube was the primary scorer during their 65-run partnership for the third wicket from just 6.3 overs.
BRIEF SCORES: Chennai Super Kings 165/5 in 20 overs (S Dube 45) lost to Sunrisers Hyderabad 166/4 in 18.1 overs (A Markram 50)