An inspired collective bowling performance from its pacers, followed by Abhishek Sharma and Aiden Markram’s fireworks with the bat, ensured Sunrisers Hyderabad coasted to an easy six-wicket win over Chennai Super Kings at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium here on Friday.
Sunrisers’s four-pronged pace attack restricted CSK to just 165 for five on a slow surface after electing to field. The Hyderabad bowlers quickly assessed the conditions, bowling into the pitch with a mix of cutters and slow bouncers, taking pace off their deliveries.
SRH vs CSK Live Score IPL 2024
Defending a modest total, Super Kings got off the wrong foot when Moeen Ali dropped Travis Head off the second ball at first slip. It was a sign of things to come as Abhishek tore apart the Chennai bowling attack in the PowerPlay with a 12-ball 37 (3x4, 4x6).
The left-hander smashed Mukesh Choudhary for three sixes and two boundaries as 27 came off the second over. He then hit Deepak Chahar for a six and four before the bowler got the better of him, but not before doing substantial damage. Travis Head (31) and Aiden Markram (50, 36b, 4x4, 1x6) then did not take their foot off the pedal as they made short work of the Chennai bowlers to take their team past 100 in the ninth over.
Though the defending champion fought back with three quick wickets, SRH was well ahead by then and got over the line with 11 balls to spare to get its second win. It was surprising why the CSK think-tank failed to employ the spinners — it had four in its ranks — earlier than it did.
Earlier, the Super Kings batters struggled for rhythm and played out 39 dot balls as Pat Cummins, Jaydev Unadkat, and Bhuvneshwar Kumar kept a tight leash on scoring.
Only Shivam Dube infused some life into his side’s batting effort with a quickfire 45 (24b, 2x4, 4x6). Dube got going by hitting Shahbaz for a six and four.
In the next over, he took on leggie Mayank Markande, clubbing him through covers for a four before a slog-swept six over square leg. He then hit left-arm pacer T. Natarajan for consecutive sixes over the leg side.
But once Cummins got Dube with a slow bouncer, the boundaries dried up as CSK managed just 38 off the last five and slumped to its second defeat.
SCOREBOARD
CHENNAI SUPER KINGS
Rachin Ravindra c Markram b Bhuvneshwar 12 (9b, 2x4), Ruturaj Gaikwad c Samad b Shahbaz 26 (21b, 3x4, 1x6), Ajinkya Rahane c Markande b Unadkat 35 (30b, 2x4, 1x6), Shivam Dube c Bhuvneshwar b Cummins 45 (24b, 2x4, 4x6), Ravindra Jadeja (not out) 31 (23b, 4x4), Daryl Mitchell c Samad b Natarajan 13 (11b, 1x4), M.S. Dhoni (not out) 1 (2b); Extras (lb-1, w-1): 2; Total (for five wkts. in 20 overs): 165.
FALL OF WICKETS
1-25 (Ravindra, 3.1 overs), 2-54 (Ruturaj, 7.1), 3-119 (Dube, 13.4), 4-127 (Rahane, 14.6), 5-160 (Mitchell, 19.3).
SUNRISERS BOWLING
Abhishek 1-0-7-0, Bhuvneshwar 4-0-28-1, Natarajan 4-0-39-1, Cummins 4-0-29-1, Markande 2-0-21-0, Shahbaz 1-0-11-1, Unadkat 4-0-29-1.
SUNRISERS HYDERABAD
Travis Head (Impact Player in place of Natarajan) c Ravindra b Theekshana 31 (24b, 3x4, 1x6), Abhishek Sharma c Jadeja b Deepak Chahar 37 (12b, 3x4, 4x6), Aiden Markram lbw b Moeen 50 (36b, 4x4, 1x6), Shahbaz Ahmed lbw b Moeen 18 (19b, 1x6), Heinrich Klaasen (not out) 10 (11b, 1x4), Nitish Kumar Reddy (not out) 14 (8b, 1x4, 1x6); Extras (b-3, lb-1, w-1, nb-1): 6; Total (for four wkts. in 18.1 overs): 166.
FALL OF WICKETS
1-46 (Abhishek, 2.4), 2-106 (Head, 9.4), 3-132 (Markram, 13.6), 4-141 (Shahbaz, 15.4).
SUPER KINGS BOWLING
Deepak Chahar 3.1-0-32-1, Mukesh (Impact Player in place of Dube) 1-0-27-0, Theekshana 4-0-27-1, Deshpande 2-0-20-0, Jadeja 4-0-30-0, Moeen 3-0-23-2, Ravindra 1-0-3-0.
Toss: SRH; PoM: Abhishek.
SRH won by six wickets with 11 balls to spare.
