Chennai Super Kings (CSK) returned to winning ways after they beat Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) by 20 runs in Match 29 of the Dream11 Indian Premier League (IPL) 2020 at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium yesterday.
Needing 168 runs to win, Jonny Bairstow was quick off the blocks, hitting two fours in the second and third over. However, CSK struck twice in the fourth over. First, Sam Curran had David Warner caught off his bowling and then, Dwayne Bravo’s fielding brilliance 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 50 in the eighth over without taking any undue risks.
But Ravindra Jadeja, in the 10th over, ended the partnership after he broke through Bairstow’s defence to give CSK their third wicket.
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 SRH to 76/3 after 12 overs. Two overs later, Priyam Garg and Williamson hit a four each.
Garg though, held out in the deep in the 15th over as Karn Sharma scalped his first wicket of the match.
SRH needed 67 runs off the last five overs and had their hopes pinned on Williamson and Vijay Shankar to take them home.
Shankar and Williamson scored eight runs in the 16th over before the former clubbed a six off Bravo off the first ball of the 17th over. But, the all-rounder got out in the same over as Jadeja completed the catch at the third man.
Meanwhile, Williamson brought up his 50 as SRH moved to 122/5 after the end of the 17th over. But going for a big shot, Williamson was dismissed in the next over, Sharma picking up his second wicket.
Rashid Khan announced his arrival in the middle with a six and then followed it up with a four, courtesy of a reverse sweep. Shahbaz Nadeem hit the last ball for four as SRH scored 19 from the 18th over.
SRH needed 27 off the last two overs and Shardul Thakur, bowling the penultimate over, conceded just five runs as CSK also managed to see the back of Rashid, following a hit-wicket. Bravo, then closed out the game, bowling a one-run final over to seal the win for CSK.
Earlier, CSK decided to make 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 little 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 CSK moved past fifty in the seventh over.
Rayudu got a life in the next over after Bairstow could not hold on to a catch in Shahbaz Nadeem’s second over. SRH had a chance to dismiss Watson in the 11th over, but Rashid Khan could not hold on to an extremely sharp chance.
Rayudu and Waston then hit a six each in the next two overs while Rayudu creamed a four in the 13th over as CSK brought up their hundred. Rashid conceded two sixes in his final over of the day as Rayudu and Watson scored 14 from the 15th over.
However, SRH 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. Meanwhile, MS Dhoni hit two fours to take CSK close to 130.
The CSK skipper then hit a humongous six off T Natarajan to push his side past 150 in the 19th over, but got out on the next delivery after scoring 21 off 13 balls. CSK scored 15 off the last over, with Jadeja, who scored an unbeaten 25 off 10 deliveries, hitting a six and a four, and posted 167/6 on the board.
Brief Scores: Chennai Super Kings 167/6 (Shane Watson 42, Ambati Rayudu 41; Sandeep Sharma 2/19) beat Sunrisers Hyderabad 147/8 (Kane Williamson 57, Jonny Bairstow 23; Dwayne Bravo 2/25) by 20 runs.