Bayliss proud of fight put up by SRH despite loss

SunRisers Hyderabad head coach Trevor Bayliss believes that his team showed character against Chennai Super Kings (CSK) on Thursday, despite the loss.

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Chennai Super Kings' (CSK) defeated Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) in Match 44 of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2021 in Sharjah and with it, became the first team to seal a place in the playoffs. After keeping things tight with the ball to limit SRH to 134/9, CSK chased down the target in 19.4 overs & with 6 wickets in hand to register their ninth win of the season.

"We showed a lot of character in the game. When you are going through run of losses like we did in this year's IPL, it's quite easy to give up on a situation like this. One of the things we are proud on ourselves was the fight," Trevor Bayliss said in the post-match press conference.

"If you stay in the game, you give yourself opportunity. We came pretty well in the game with two or three overs to go so all credit to the bowlers tonight," he added.

"Our fielding has been quite good throughout the tournament. It is one of the things we want to pride ourselves on and make a difference on the field. I think from the bowling point of view, Holder has been pretty consistent for us.

"I thought Sid Kaul in the last 2 games that he has played has been good.  The two overs that Abhishek (Sharma) bowled tonight were quite good as well. That is a positive sign for us," Bayliss added.

Meanwhile, SRH skipper Kane Williamson admitted the side didn't put on a fighting total.

"Not quite enough runs. It wasn't an easy surface and although we didn't get enough, we showed a fighting spirit in the last quarter with the ball. We need 10-15 extra runs with the bat though and we need to make those small," said Williamson during the post-match presentation.

"After the powerplay we were 40-something and although you feel like you want more, it was a good start on that surface. You want to score a few more runs though, but we saw some nice contributions from the lower order. We need to improve. This team is at the top of the table," he added.

Ruturaj Gaikwad and Faf du Plessis continued their solid show with the bat for CSK at the top to set the platform for a comfortable win. The pair put on yet another half-century stand to set the ball rolling for CSK and took the side to 75/0, with some brilliant stroke-making, after 10 overs in the chase.

Jason Holder then provided SRH with a much-needed breakthrough in the 11th over as he dismissed Gaikwad for 45.

Moeen Ali then joined du Plessis in the middle and the two took CSK past 100. However, SRH struck back via Rashid Khan and Holder as the two shared three wickets between them dismissing Moeen, Suresh Raina, and du Plessis.

Ambati Rayudu and captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni though made sure that CSK did not lose any more wickets and took the side across the finish line, with Captain Cool sealing the match with his trademark six.