Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) scraped its way to its first win against Chennai Super Kings (CSK) at the Chepauk to breathe a tiny fragment of life into its Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 campaign on Friday.
SRH’s chase was far from ideal as it was pushed into a corner by a persistent CSK bowling attack, cheered on by a partisan crowd.
On a slow-paced surface, the home bowlers bowled with conviction, chipping in with regular wickets to disrupt SRH’s efforts.
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SRH’s chase received its first jolt in the opening over as left-arm pacer Khaleel Ahmed nabbed opener Abhishek Sharma with one that gripped off the surface. Anshul Kamboj backed up his new-ball partner by castling Travis Head with an off-cutter.
Ishan Kishan held the innings together, barely, with a jittery 34-ball 44, as CSK bowlers continued to plug away from the other end.
The home team’s hopes reached a crescendo after it reduced the Sunrisers to 106 for five in the 14th over. But, SRH rallied through a counter-punching 49-run partnership between Kamindu Mendis and Nitish Kumar Reddy to salvage its third win of the season.
SRH was also aided by a generous CSK bowling attack, which gave away 15 extras, including 11 wides.
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Earlier, after being inserted, CSK spluttered and wheezed with the bat to post yet another under-par score. It didn’t help the team that the innings’ only sustained attack came from the blades of two replacement players, Ayush Mhatre and Dewald Brevis.
The two young batters seemed unburdened by CSK’s archaic philosophy of T20 cricket, employing unapologetic stroke-play, almost as if to offer a counterpoint.
Mhatre and Brevis’ flashy knocks, though, were merely brief interludes in an essay of SRH dominance. The away team became only the second to bowl out CSK in Chepauk in an IPL game (Mumbai Indians did it twice – 2012 and 2019), with Harshal Patel starring with a four-wicket haul.
The chokehold began early, as SRH preyed on CSK’s top-order susceptibility, snaffling three wickets in the PowerPlay.
Ravindra Jadeja celebrating after taking the wicket of Heinrich Klaasen.
| Photo Credit:
RAGU R/The Hindu
Ravindra Jadeja celebrating after taking the wicket of Heinrich Klaasen.
| Photo Credit:
RAGU R/The Hindu
The away pacers refrained from hunting for early swing, bowling just five fuller balls in the opening phase of the innings.
The hard-length ploy was put into wicket-taking effect even before the home fans could find their seats. A touch of outswing from Mohammed Shami off a good length was enough to have CSK opener Shaik Rasheed caught at first slip off the match’s first ball.
CSK’s PowerPlay outing was saved by a still-headed Mhatre, who thrived against SRH’s new-ball attack. The 17-year-old leaned on a back-foot approach, as he pulled, punched and whipped with glee to accumulate six fours.
SRH skipper Pat Cummins eventually ended Mhatre’s free-flowing knock with a fired-in fuller ball, forcing the young batter to miscue to mid off.
An ever-so-familiar lethargy crept into the CSK innings as the game meandered into the middle overs. This was until team debutant Brevis flipped a switch, carting the ambidextrous spinner Kamindu Mendis for three sixes in the 12th over.
The South African added one more six in the following over, bowled by Harshal Patel, to signal his intent. Brevis thought he had ticked off another maximum after he whacked a fuller one wide of long off, stationed by Mendis.
The Sri Lankan, still reeling from the previous over’s pasting, scurried across the turf before launching into a goalkeeper-like dive to his left to emerge with the ball, claiming what would likely go down as the catch of the season.
Mendis’ intervention proved momentum-altering as SRH bowlers regained their grip on the game. CSK added just 40 runs in the seven overs after Brevis’ dismissal, losing its final five wickets, including that of skipper MS Dhoni, playing his 400th T20.
The batting inadequacies would soon prove to be CSK’s shortcoming, yet again.Â