Chennai Super Kings are back and they are back with a bang! The two-time IPL champions again proved their class and defeated a strong Sunrisers Hyderabad by four runs in their own backyard. The match again went into the last over and proved that CSK know how to seal the deal (unlike Mumbai Indians) and Mahendra Singh Dhoni-led side are now sitting pretty at the top of the table.
Let’s analyse CSK’s win over SRH:
1. CSK’s slow and steady start:
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Chennai Super Kings in this tournament has changed their opening combinations frequently and now it was the turn of South African skipper Faf du Plessis and Aussie Shane Watson. Faf and Watson only added 14 runs for the first wicket and after six overs, CSK were 27/1 and the innings was going nowhere. After 10 overs, Chennai could only muster 54 runs and it looked like it would be a low scoring match.
2. Ambati Rayudu playing a vintage knock:
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Many people forget that Ambati Rayudu has been playing cricket for the better part of last 15 years and is a player who always gives his best. In this IPL, Rayudu has batted in every position and he hasn’t let his side down. On Sunday, Rayudu came to crease at 32/2 and quickly found his groove.
On the same surface, where other batsmen were finding it difficult to score, The CSK batsman blasted 79 off 37 balls before he was unfortunately run out. CSK reached the score of 182/3 thanks to Rayudu and he deservedly won the man of the match award and once again showed his experience and class under pressure.
3. Is SRH bowling falling apart?:
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The much-touted SRH bowling again had a bad day and after controlling the early part of the innings, the bowling fell apart and conceded 128 runs in the last 10 overs. Afghanistan leg-spinner Rashid Khan once again had a bad day and was attacked by Rayudu all over the park. Hyderabad bowlers will once again have to nail the basics and come up with a better performance in the next match.
4. Hyderabad’s terrible start and Kane Williamson’s masterful knock:
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SRH were missing Shikhar Dhawan and would have hoped to get off a better start but instead, Hyderabad lost their first three wickets for 22 runs and apart from Kane Williamson, nobody cared to bat according to the situation and in the end it was Williamson vs CSK.
Kane Williamson is not your typical T20 player and is not strongly built. But, Williamson batted with composure and scored 84 off 51 balls, hitting five maximums. The SRH skipper got out at the wrong time and if only he had someone to take pressure off him, SRH could have been victorious.
5. CSK bowlers holding their nerve amid carnage:
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Chennai’s bowling line up is not a scary or intimidating one and they go under the radar quite a bit. Indian pace bowling duo of Deepak Chahar and Shardul Thakur have been a revelation this season and it was Chahar who struck early and picked up three early wickets.
As the things were going rough in the end, Dwayne Bravo once again put his hand up and bowled the last over. CSK might have won the match by four runs, but their bowlers controlled the match for the most part of the game and didn’t panic under pressure.
