Images from the IPL match between SunRisers Hyderabad and Chennai Super Kings, in Delhi, on Wednesday.
The opening pair of Ruturaj Gaikwad and Faf du Plessis hit scintillating fifties as Chennai Super Kings trounced SunRisers Hyderabad by seven wickets in the Indian Premier League match, in Delhi, on Wednesday.
Gaikwad was cool and composed as he tore apart the SunRisers attack during his 75 off 44 balls after Du Plessis (56 off 38 balls) launched the initial assault, making the target of 172 look easier than it actually was.
Their fifth straight victory enabled three-time champions Chennai Super Kings displace Royal Challengers Bangalore from the top of the eight-team league table while SunRisers Hyderabad stayed put at the bottom after five defeats and a solitary victory.
Earlier, electing to bat, half-centuries from Manish Pandey and skipper David Warner, and a late cameo from Kane Williamson, gave SunRisers Hyderabad a decent 171-3.
Warner (57 off 55 balls) and Pandey (61 off 46 balls) added 106 runs for the second wicket, but it was Williamson's 26 not out off 10 balls and Kedar Jadhav's 12 off 4 balls which gave SRH a competitive total.
Gaikwad and du Plessis opened the innings for the Super Kings while Sandeep Sharma got SunRisers Hyderabad’s bowling underway. The pair got going straightaway, taking five off the first over and 10 off the next, bowled by Khaleel Ahmed.
The South African hit two fours in the fourth over as Ahmed conceded 10 from it.
The torrent of runs continued and there was hardly anything the SunRisers bowlers could do to stop them.
Du Plessis scored a single off Sandeep Sharma to bring up the 50-run stand between the two off the penultimate delivery of the sixth over.
Gaikwad had scored 17 off as many balls and du Plessis 32 off 19.
The South African batsman then went on to register his third successive fifty off the last ball of the 11th over, bowled by Siddarth Kaul, as CSK got to 100 without loss.
Just when the three-time champions were cruising, Rashid Khan, back for his third over, broke the partnership by cleaning up Gaikwad.
The opener could only watch as the leg-break darted in and crashed into off-stump.
Gaikwad was out for a superb 75 off 44 balls, which included 12 fours. CSK were 129-1 for 1.
Moeen Ali replaced Gaikwad and hit Ahmed for a four in the 14th over and repeated the same treatment on Rashid in the next over.
However, the Afghan spinner had the last laugh with his penultimate delivery of the 15th over, having Ali caught by Jadhav.
Ali slogged but got a thick edge, which was taken by Jadhav at long on.
Rashid was not done yet. He picked his third wicket, dismissing Du Plessis leg before wicket with the next delivery.
The umpire’s decision was reviewed but ball-tracking indicated it was going to clip the top of leg stump.
Du Plessis was out after solid 56 off 38 balls, which included 6 fours and a six. CSK were 148-3 after 15 overs and cruising.
They now had two new batsmen in Ravindra Jadeja and Suresh Raina at the crease to take them forward. The pair wasted no time in hitting up the required runs, the former remaining unbeaten with 7 off 6 balls and Rana 17 off 15, which included three fours.
Earlier, Pandey and Warner gave the SunRisers a steady start, and Williamson produced a late cameo, as they put up a competitive 171 for 3.
The dashing Australian scored 57 off 55 balls while Pandey hit 61 off 46 in a 106-run partnership for the second wicket to help SunRisers recover after the early departure of Jonny Bairstow.
However, it was Williamson's 26 not out off 10 balls and Kedar Jadhav's 12 off 4 in the last two overs that enabled them finish with a decent total.
Warner, who posted his 50th IPL fifty and completed 10,000 T20 runs during his subdued knock, wasn’t his usual, aggressive self and was made to labour for runs against some good bowling and tight fielding.
Lungi Ngidi was Chennai Super Kings’ best bowler, returning figures of 2 for 35 from four overs, while Sam Curran picked one wicket for 30 runs.
SunRisers Hyderabad won the toss and elected to bat. Both teams made two changes: the SunRisers brought in Sandeep Sharma and Pandey while Ngidi and Moeen Ali replaced Dwayne Bravo and Imran Tahir in the CSK eleven.
Sam Curran struck with the second delivery of his second over having Bairstow caught by Deepak Chahar.
The English bowler sent down a short ball on the leg-side which his countryman pulled to long leg, where Chahar took a well-judged catch.
Bairstow was out for 7 off 5 balls, which included a four, and SRH were 25-1 at the end of the fourth over.
However, Warner and Pandey, who replaced Bairstow, were undeterred and went about the task calmly, taking SunRisers to 39 for 1 after the powerplay six overs.
Warner was on 19 off 23 and Pandey on 10 off 8 balls then. They got runs mostly in singles and twos till Pandey hit a six off Ali in the tenth over.
The off-spinner conceded 10 runs as SunRisers put up 69 for 1 at the half-way mark. Warner was on 29 off 35 balls and Pandey on 29 off 20 at that stage.
The pair continued to eschew risks, preferring to get the runs with singles and the odd boundary.
Pandey brought up his 50 in the 14th over, bowled by Ravindra Jadeja, with a single as 10 runs came from it.
Warner stepped up the scoring in the 15th over, hitting Nigidi for a six, his 200th in the IPL.
11 runs were scored from the over as Warner got to 48 off as many balls and SHR were 113 for 1.
Another six, this time off Jadeja, saw the Aussie opener bring up his 50th IPL fifty. It was a subdued one, but much-needed for his team.
Pandey then brought up the 100-run stand for the second wicket with the first ball off the 17th over, sending a full delivery from Shardul Thakur to long-on for a single.
But just as the SunRisers were stepping on the accelerator Ngidi, returning for his final over, ended the partnership with the first ball of the 18th over.
Warner, who was struggling for big hits, got down on his knee and chased a wide delivery outside off-stump and balooned it to sweeper cover, where Jadeja took the catch.
Warner was out for 57 off 55 balls, including 3 fours and 2 sixes, as the SunRisers lost their second wicket for 128.
Ngidi dealt SunRisers another blow, eliminating Pandey following a brilliant catch by Faf du Plessis.
The batsman, trying to score big with a few balls remaining, hit towards long-on, where the South African covered ground and pulled off an airborne catch.
Pandey was dismissed for 61 off 46 balls and SRH were 138 for 3 after the 18th over.
With only to overs left it was left to Kane Williamson, who had replaced Warner, to get some runs for SRH to post a fighting total.
He launched an all-out assault on Shardul Thakur in the 19th over, hitting three fours and a six, as 20 runs were scored from it.
He and Kedar Jadav, who replaced Pandey, then took 13 runs from the last over, bowled by Curran, to enable the SunRisers post 171 for 3.
Williamson was unbeaten on 26 off 10 balls along with Jadav, who hit the last delivery for a huge six to finish with 12 off 4.
