IPL 2019: Three talking points from SRH’s comfortable win over CSK
Sunrisers Hyderabad claimed their first victory against Chennai Super Kings since May 2015 as they chased down 132 runs at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium, Hyderabad yesterday. SRH bowled like they are known to and kept CSK down to a meager total. With David Warner and Jonny Bairstow providing an excellent start, Sunrisers cruised to the target despite their middle-order wobble.
Historically, Chennai Super Kings had dominated the Hyderabadi team but the Orange Army managed to turn the tables on the visitors. MS Dhoni was absent from yesterday’s match, and the void was evident in CSK’s death overs effort. 132 runs was never going to be a daunting target and once SRH openers got going, the chase became nominal. Here are three talking points from the encounter.
SRH bowling finds its mojo
Sunrisers Hyderabad had developed their own template for success in the IPL. They were a bowling team who made the batting side strive for every run. Every bowler had a unique element, and they would be rotated as per the pitch conditions. Beating SRH on their home track was a shivering prospect for many teams. This season, however, SRH bowling attack was a pale shadow of itself.
Yesterday, at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium, Hyderabad, SRH bowling returned to its own. Khaleel Ahmed finished with 1/22 in four overs while Bhuvneshwar Kumar conceded only 21 runs in his spell. Rashid Khan bowled an amazing spell of 2/17 and kept CSK under a tight leash. It resulted in the Super Kings finishing with only 132/5 on the board.
The battle in 3D
India announced its 15-man squad for the 2019 World Cup on 15th April. With plenty in contention, some were bound to miss out. Ambati Rayudu, touted some time back as India’s solution for the number four spot, also missed out. The Hyderabadi batsman lost his form at a crucial juncture and the selectors decided to keep him out. Rayudu was unhappy at his exclusion and hit out with a cryptic tweet directed at Vijay Shankar who was selected in his place.
Incidentally, the duo of Rayudu-Shankar featured against each other in this match. Rayudu walked out to bat in the 11th over after the fall of Faf du Plessis. Vijay Shankar was the bowler on this occasion. The drama continued for another over but there were no bad feelings between them. There was no reason for it. In an off-camera moment, Shankar and Rayudu shook hands. All was well.
Missing Thala
Chennai Super Kings and MS Dhoni are not two separate entities, at least for those in Tamil Nadu. Both are intricately linked. MS Dhoni led the Yellow team to glorious heights and has carved a place for himself in every CSK fan’s heart. Yesterday was a bizarre sight for CSK fans as they realized that their ‘Thala’ was not taking part in the game.
MS Dhoni missed the match against SRH due to back spasms. It was the first time since IPL 2010 that Dhoni was not leading the Yellow outfit. The impact on the middle order was clear. After a good start from Faf du Plessis, CSK failed to amp up the run rate and finished with a below-par score. They sorely missed a finisher with the quality of MSD.
