Quick guide:
Chennai Super Kings vs Sunrisers Hyderabad
In the 23rd match of Vivo IPL, Chennai Super Kings were up against Sunrisers Hyderabad. IPL had moved to Delhi and Ahmedabad. Delhi-leg started with Chennai playing first of their four scheduled matches in Delhi against the Sunrisers.
Match Summary
Warner, leading his side into the sixth encounter of the season, won the toss and decided to bat first. He was surprisingly honest in admitting that batting first was just another attempt to break the losing momentum. The Orange Army skipper also mentioned that they were defending only because they hadn’t done so this season.
MS, on the other hand, was calculated in his approach, and was happy to chase as he expected dew later in the game. A great toss in these times where both captains are happy of the result.
SRH had Manish Pandey and Sandeep Sharma in whereas CSK got Moeen Ali back after a rest of one match along with Ngidi.
1st Innings
It was the usual tactics from Dhoni to get his attacking bowler onto the start of the proceedings. Chahar (3-0-21-0) got the play to swing a little with some neat seam presentation. However, he couldn’t get the early breakthrough and it was Sam Curran who got Bairstow (7) caught by cramping him. Manish Pandey (61) came at number 3 and was picturesque in the powerplay with his trademark back-foot punch in the start of the innings.
Watch: Manish Pandey’s knock of 61 (46)
The difference for SRH was the batting of their Skipper. Warner looked out of touch and was struggling to get boundaries. Pandey was playing at a better pace than his usual strike rate, but on the other end, Warner never appeared like timing the ball crisply into the gaps. The partnership for third wicket was big but the scoring rate never accelerated afar until Faf caught Pandey with an incredible full-fledged dive on the boundary.
Williamson, at 4, came out in the slog overs and his knock of 26* runs from 10 balls got the momentum into the Hyderabad innings. Jadhav came after Warner and his cameo included a last-ball six. SRH got a handy 170 odd on the board for CSK to chase. Ngidi (4-0-35-2) was the pick of the bowlers for CSK while Thakur seemed to lack execution in the crunch overs.
Watch: A Kane Williamson special
2nd Innings
In-form Chennai openers came out to chase a healthy total from SRH. Sandeep Sharma (3.3-0-24-0) and Khaleel Ahmed (4-0-36-0) were Warner’s pick for starting the powerplay. While the starting few balls saw a cautious approach from CSK openers, Faf soon started to cut loose. There were not many balls that looked to cause trouble for the in-form CSK batters.
Watch: Ruturaj’s super knock of 75 (44)
Once the openers got settled, there was not a lot that bowlers seemed to do. For a good period of 15 overs, Ruturaj and Faf got the better of Sunrisers’ bowlers. Boundaries were easy to come, and batting seemed like a child play. Rashid Khan (4-0-36-3) was the pick of the bowlers for SRH, but he was held back until CSK batters took the game away. He came into the party late and took three wickets when the match was in the yellow camp.
CSK marked their 4th consecutive win in the season after defeating SRH by 7 wickets.
Watch: Rashid Khan’s 3-wicket haul
Match thoughts
- CSK are continuing their momentum and the openers are ensuring that wins come to them dominatingly. There is not a lot for the men in yellow to think.
- There was, however, a surprise for everyone from the Delhi pitch. Delhi has, in the recent editions of the tournament, been a low and slow track with balls often keeping low. This time, however, the pitch had even covering of the grass and the pitch was held together. The bounce was true, and the intact pitch had no real assistance for spinners. Arun Jaitley stadium or Kotla as it was previously called, has seen a change in the conditions that will help the stroke-makers.
- SRH will have a lot to think as they have a single victory after six outings. It is true that they miss Bhuvneshwar and Natarajan but they need to find a way back to the winning route as early as possible.
- The only positive that they will take from the match is the form of middle-order batters who look strong with a spot for Williamson in the mix. Warner, for now, needs to back the XI and perhaps use Rashid more attackingly.
Key Takeaways
- The off-drives of Ruturaj defined that if one masters the basics, fancy would follow.
- Faf’s consistency in CSK’s wins was a reminder that, bigger results warrant better consistency.
- The openers however left us with a great message in their innings that we have to finish what we start with undivided focus.
Also read: Sun ‘rises’ for the determined Sunrisers
-By Shubham Sharma (Guest Author)