The rival captains agreed at the toss that it was a better wicket than seen before this match at the Sharjah Stadium. Sunrisers Hyderabad had the first taste of it after being put in by MS Dhoni. But the 134 for seven the Sunrisers posted on Thursday couldn't stop the Chennai Super Kings' juggernaut from rolling on.
The slowness of the wicket made no difference to the table toppers with 18 points as they rode on a 75-run opening partnership between Ruturaj Gaikwad (45; 38b, 4x4, 6x2), including a successful LBW review off Rashid Khan, and Faf du Plessis (41; 36b, 4x3, 6x2) to successfully chase down a target for the third time in the UAE leg of IPL.
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If at all the youngsters in the Sunrisers camp need a lesson in maximising opportunities, they need look no further than Gaikwad, as the spindly opener continued his rich vein of form.
The manner in which CSK stuttered after losing Gaikwad underlined the importance of his knock but in overcoming the situation caused by Jason Holder's 3/27, Chennai showed why they are such a potent force.
If only Jason Roy had taken a blinder off Dhoni's hit, it could have been a different story. The seasoned pro quickly put the issue beyond doubt as he and Rayudu sealed a six-wicket win to complement the excellent bowling display by Josh Hazlewood (3/24) and Dwayne Bravo (2/17).
Dhoni turned the clock back in finishing things off with a six.
For long the best short form bowler in the world, the West Indian brought his full repertoire into play and but for Wriddhiman Saha's calm presence at the top, the Sunrisers would have had much less to show.
The wicketkeeper-bat went after Deepak Chahar and hit him for two sixes in the third over that yielded 14 runs and survived a catch off a Shardul Thakur's no-ball when on 29 before he succumbed for 44 (46b, 4x1, 6x2).
1/8:CSK reach playoffs
<p>Rutaraj Gaikwad and Faf du Plessis hit quickfire runs to see Chennai Super Kings to a six-wicket victory over Sunrisers Hyderabad and become the first side into the Indian Premier League playoffs. (BCCI/IPL/PTI Photo)</p>
2/8:Great start, great finish
<p>The hard hitting openers put on 75 for the first wicket as Chennai reached 139/4 with two balls to spare after Hyderabad were restricted to 134/7. (BCCI/IPL Photo)</p>
3/8:Bad start for SRH
<p>Hyderabad were put in to bat and immediately suffered with Jason Roy going for two and captain Kane Williamson for 11. (BCCI/IPL/PTI Photo)</p>
4/8:Saha tries his best
<p>Wriddhiman Saha's 44 off 46 balls kept the Hyderabad innings alive. (BCCI/IPL/PTI Photo)</p>
5/8:SRH lose way
<p>But once Saha was caught by Dhoni off Ravindra Jadeja, Hyderabad slowed and never looked likely to set a target to seriously challenge Chennai. (BCCI/IPL/PTI Photo)</p>
6/8:Vital victory
<p>Gaikwad hit 45 off 38 balls and Du Plessis 41 from 36 balls to set the three-time champions on the road to the key victory. (BCCI/IPL/PTI Photo)</p>
7/8:Dhoni finishes it off in style
<p>Captain MS Dhoni hit a six to complete the win in Sharjah. (BCCI/IPL/PTI Photo)</p>
8/8:CSK top of the table
<p>Chennai now lead the eight-team table with 18 points from 11 games, two ahead of Delhi Capitals, and are guaranteed a place in the four playoff spots. (BCCI/IPL/PTI Photo)</p>Saha, however, put the innings on a revival mode before he fell. The Sunrisers were 41 for one in the powerplay as the hero of SRH's previous game, Roy, tickled Hazlewood - who returned his IPL best - to succumb cheaply. The Australian bowled good areas, inducing an edge off Kane Williamson that the skipper survived before he was trapped in front by Bravo.
Abhishek Sharma and Abdul Samad added 35 for the fifth wicket. From 63/2 at the halfway stage, SRH motored to 111/6 before Hazlewood struck twice to get rid of both in the 17th over. SRH managed only 37 and lost three wickets in the last five overs.
