Josh Hazlewood shone as Chennai Super Kings outclassed Sunrisers Hyderabad by six wickets to seal their spot in the IPL play-offs on Thursday, September 30, 2021.
Hazlewood took 3/24 on a slow, low Sharjah cricket stadium wicket as CSK restricted Sunrisers to 134/7 in their 20 overs before they cruised to an easy victory despite stretching the run chase till the final over.
Hazlewood gave CSK the perfect start when he got Sunrisers Opener Jason Roy caught behind for 2 in the fourth over as the batter attempted a wild shot.
The Australian pace bowler had conceded just a run in his first over before Roy tried to break free against him but ended up giving his wicket away.
Dwayne Bravo kept things tight in the middle overs while also chipping away at the wickets with Sunrisers never able to pose a challenge with the bat.
Ravindra Jadeja also made a vital strike, ejecting the well-set Wriddhiman Saha caught behind by wicket-keeper Mahendra Singh Dhoni for 44.
Hazlewood left Sunrisers in further strife with his double strike in the 17th over. The young pairing of Abhishek Sharma and Abdul Samad had both hit the Australian for a six each, but the pacer managed to extract revenge by dismissing both SRH batsmen in the space of three deliveries.
Abhishek, who smashed Hazlewood for a six over cover, fell as he holed out to the fielder at long-on, while Samad was caught at point trying to slash a wide delivery square on the off-side.
Hazlewood finished with splendid figures of 3/24 in his four overs -- his career-best in the IPL to power CSK to their ninth win from 11 games and ensure their qualification for the next stage.
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