IPL 2021: CSK vs SRH – Faf, Gaikwad set up cruising 7-wicket win for Chennai

Chennai Super Kings won their first match in the Delhi leg, when they defeated Sunrisers Hyderabad at the Arun Jaitley Stadium on Wednesday. Having been set a target of 172, the three-time champions reached the target with nine balls and seven wickets to spare. This was CSK’s fifth win from six games in this season.

Warner, Pandey score fifties

SRH captain David Warner won the toss and elected to bat first, much to everyone’s surprise. The plan to put a big total on the board didn’t work well initially with Jonny Bairstow being dismissed in the Powerplay. Manish Pandey and David Warner then put on a good stand of 106 runs. However, their partnership went at a rate slower than their team would have liked on a decent batting surface.

Warner scored 57 off 55 balls while Manish Pandey scored his 61 at a better rate and in 46 balls. Once they were dismissed, Kane Williamson launched a late assault scoring 26 runs from 10 balls. Kedar Jadhav got into the act with his short cameo that took Hyderabad’s total to 171/3.

A brisk start for Chennai

Chennai started their run-chase in quite a good fashion with their openers teeing off quickly. Ruturaj Gaikwad was in full flow during his knock of 75. At the other end, Faf du Plessis got to another half-century in the season. Moeen Ali also played a little cameo before Rashid Khan ended his stay at the crease.

Rashid picked up all the three CSK wickets and tried putting some pressure on Chennai. But the platform which was laid was so ideal that the mini-collapse didn’t hurt CSK’s chances. Ravindra Jadeja and Suresh Raina finished off the chase in style.

Top Performers

Manish Pandey: The right-handed batsman once again showed how important he is to the Hyderabad team, when he scored 61 runs from 46 balls. While Warner found it difficult to time the ball, he was on the other end, trying to take on the bowlers sometimes. After getting dropped, then coming back and scored a fifty will give him immense pleasure.

Ruturaj Gaikwad: The CSK opener played a fantastic innings. There were no poor timing shots or any shot with uncertainty. It was just class batting by him. At one point, he raced away from 50 to 70 in just no time. His innings took the match away from Hyderabad.

Personal achievements/records

● Suresh Raina hit his 500th four in IPL

● David Warner reached 10,000 runs in T20 cricket and 4000 runs for SRH

● Warner also scored his 50th fifty in the IPL – becoming the first-ever player to do so

Way Ahead

SRH will meet Rajasthan Royals in their next match on May 2. CSK will play Mumbai on May 1. Both matches will be played in Delhi.