Rayudu, Chahar the difference as CSK pull off another close win
Chennai Super Kings came back from a slow start to post 128 off their last ten overs and edge Sunrisers out in a four-run win
Chennai Super Kings came back from a slow start to post 128 off their last ten overs and edge Sunrisers out in a four-run win
Commentator: Akshay Gopalakrishnan
Alright then, that's a wrap of this game. CSK reclaim their position atop the table. Much has been said of the composition of their squad, but they keep finding heroes each time they play. And it's a whole lot of guys that have stepped up at various junctures and not an over-reliance on one or two guys, which should augur well. We're almost ready for the evening's second game, so if you have the bandwith, do head over there. I need to grab some dinner.
Time for the presentations.
MS Dhoni, the winning captain, says: "I didn't want him to change his plans, basically. At times, even the best like Bravo, need advice. What's important is you make mistakes and you learn. At lot of times we have these debates, but a lot of times, when you make mistakes, the bowlers understand what we were talking about. I think the wickets have become better compared to the first few years of the IPL. The batsmen are bigger and stronger. I think we need to give credit to the batsmen and the bowlers are also constantly improving. But as we progress towards the knockouts, you will see the bowlers come up with new plans, and getting the big scores won't be so easy. What's important is to give these guys (Deepak Chahar and Shardul Thakur) some time. I want them to do well. Yes, there have been errors, but they will come back strong. Rayudu has been fantastic. One of the questions was where do we play him? And I have seen him bat up the order at No. 3. Whenever he plays the big shots, he maintains shape, which is very important. He can bat at all numbers, but I'd prefer to see him opening, where he looks very dangerous."
Ambati Rayudu is Man of the Match.
7.36pm Very little separated the two teams today. They both crawled for the early parts of their innings, and they both accelerated manically towards the end. And they both had two absolutely stunning innings of very high quality and class. In the end, it came down to the small margins, and those are the deciding factors more often than not in this format. CSK were brilliant at the death with the ball. As many boundaries as they conceded, their changes of pace and yorker game was spot on. But for that, SRH would have taken this.
A masterclass from Kane Williamson. It was almost flawless, as he displayed supreme mastery and control. And a gutsy effort from Yusuf Pathan who fought a bad back to keep SRH in it.
Let's not forget Deepak Chahar's brilliant spell. His three early wickets pushed Sunrisers completely onto the backfoot, and he was parsimonious in a big chase. And Ambati Rayudu in the first innings batted on another plane, smashing them long and hard when all the rest struggled to even turn the strike over. Of course, some very good support from Suresh Raina, and a sparkling finish from MS Dhoni.
Venky: "Vineet Kulkarni is a gonner.. It's now gonna be, 'Had he called a No-ball' "
Rummy: "CSK, please stop these last over finishes! Can't take it anymore."
Rahman: "Like Narine, SRH should open with Rashid "
Dhaval : "Surely KW has to be the Man of the Match. SRH were dead and buried if it was not for some brilliance from him. " Well, the same can be said about Rayudu and CSK. Not an easy choice.
Keshav: "The misfield by thakur has indeed sealed the game for CSK! Else Rashid could have had an extra ball! Phew! "
Stephen : "That waist high no ball would've made a difference. But such is life. SRH didn't bowl as well they would've wanted to. Hopefully they can arrest the slide. "
Can Rashid give Hyderabad the last-ball six?
Ten off two. A six and a four will do. Bravo and Dhoni get together for a conference. Tension high. A win for them will take CSK to the top.
Rashid can hit them long. Sixteen off three
DJ Bravo. 18 to defend.
On a day when Chennai Super Kings crawled to the lowest Powerplay score (27 for 1) and the lowest 10-over score of the season (54 for 2), Ambati Rayudu smoked 79 off 37 balls at a Smart strike rate of 288.54
Chennai Super Kings came back from a slow start to post 128 off their last ten overs and edge Sunrisers out in a four-run win
Shikhar Dhawan retired hurt after being hit on his elbow on Thursday *and did not train with the Sunrisers on the eve of the match.