IPL 2021: SRH vs CSK Review – Chennai confirm playoff spot with easy win

Chennai Super Kings on Thursday became the first team to book their playoff spot in IPL 2021, defeating Sunrisers Hyderabad by 6 wickets at Sharjah. SRH, on the other hand, are officially out of the race this season.

Hazlewood shines with 3-fer

CSK skipper MS Dhoni won the toss and elected to bowl first. SRH didn’t get off to a good start and kept losing wickets at regular intervals. Wriddhiman Saha was the only batsman in the top order who made a good contribution of 44 runs. Abhishek Sharma and Abdul Samad made 18 runs each while Rashid Khan chipped in with a short cameo towards the end, which eventually took Hyderabad’s score to 134/7. Josh Hazlewood was the star of a disciplined CSK bowling attack, registering his best figures in the IPL. Dwayne Bravo, with his 2 wickets, proved crucial too.

Ruturaj, Faf set the platform

With the bat, the CSK openers started the run chase in fine style. Ruturaj Gaikwad scored a dazzling 45 while Faf du Plessis struck a fiery 41. Together, the openers put up a crucial stand to lay the foundation perfectly. But SRH managed to pull the chase back a bit with some wickets in the middle overs. From 103 for 1, CSK went to 108 for 4 in no time. Jason Holder took three of the four wickets while Rashid Khan took one.

But it was Ambati Rayudu’s little cameo of 17 runs which calmed the nerves down. He finished the chase with MS Dhoni, who hit a six to finish the match ending on 14 runs himself. Chennai won the match with just two balls to spare.

Top performers

Josh Hazlewood: After a couple of quiet outings, Josh Hazlewood finally had a good day in the office. He took three wickets, that of Jason Roy, Abhishek Sharma and Abdul Samad. The Aussie also managed to keep the runs down, giving only 24 runs from his four overs.

Dwayne Bravo: The West Indian bowled another fantastic spell and allowed his team to restrict the Hyderabad team for a low score. He also picked up wickets of Kane Williamson and Priyam Garg at a crucial stage, which didn’t allow Hyderabad to go and get a big score for them.

Personal record/achievements

• MS Dhoni completed 100 catches for CSK as wicketkeeper

CSK will now face RR on October 2, while SRH will take on KKR on October 3.