Chennai’s Faf and Gaikwad soar again, followed by Dhoni’s six to end game against Sunrisers Hyderabad; Aussie pacer Josh Hazlewood torments Williamson & Co
CSK pacer Josh Hazlewood during the IPL match against SRH yesterday; (right) MS Dhoni slams a six against SRH yesterday. Pics/BCCI, IPL
Chennai Super Kings produced a convincing performance against Sunrisers Hyderabad to maintain their remarkable consistency this season and sail into the IPL play-offs here on Thursday.
The bowlers, led by Josh Hazlewood (3-24) and Dwayne Bravo (2-17), restricted SRH to 134-7 after MS Dhoni opted to bowl first on a slow surface.
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Chasing the total, in-form openers Ruturaj Gaikwad (45 off 38 balls) and Faf du Plessis (41 off 36 balls) shared a sublime 75-run stand to give CSK an ideal start.
A mini collapse in the middle overs made the chase interesting before CSK got the job done in 19.4 overs with Dhoni (14 not out off 11 balls) hitting the winning six and bringing back memories of his heydays.
The three-time former champions thus ended the chase, scoring 139 for four, for a convincing six-wicket win.
With their fourth win in as many games since the tournament’s resumption, CSK showed not making the play-offs last season was just a blip in their successful IPL history.
The Sharjah pitch, which produced high-scoring games last year, has been a complete contrast this season with its slow nature making stroke making difficult.
Batting in the second innings got easier with the fast-rising Gaikwad displaying supreme skills. The confidence with which he played star SRH spinner Rashid Khan was most impressive. He charged down the track on Rashid’s second ball and dispatched it for a straight six.
He also used his feet well against left-arm spinner Abhishek Sharma for another crisp boundary.
Brief scores
SRH 134-7 in 20 overs (W Saha 44; J Hazlewood 3-24, D Bravo 2-17) lost to CSK 139-4 in 19.4 overs (R Gaikwad 45, Faf du Plessis 41; J Holder 3-27) by six wickets
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