Hyderabad: Chennai Super Kings (CSK) fluffed their lines during their batting innings and then were struck by a tornado named Abhishek Sharma whose 37 off 12 balls put Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) on course of their comfortable six-wicket victory against the defending champions in an IPL match here on Friday.
The SRH bowlers were very disciplined while restricting CSK to 165/5 in 20 overs with only 37 being scored off the last five overs.
If 37 off last five was a poor effort from CSK, young southpaw Abhishek, who is having a great tournament, also scored 37 but off only 12 deliveries with four sixes to lay the platform.
Aiden Markram then anchored the run chase with a 36-ball 50 as SRH knocked off the runs in just 18.1 overs. Hi e was involved in a 60-run stand with opener Travis Head (31 off 24 balls) for the second wicket in seven overs after Abhishek pummeled a listless Mukesh Chaudhary, playing his first game, for 27 runs in an over. The match as a contest ended then and there as CSK lost two away matches on trot while SRH have now won both their home games.
CSK had a chance first up but Moeen Ali dropped Head off the second delivery bowled by Deepak Chahar.
After that it was mayhem as 23-year-old Abhishek hit two fours and three sixes off Mukesh, who was a forced selection in the absence of Mustafizur Rahaman, who has taken a one-match break to go home and submit his US visa application.
Playing his first competitive game after 16 months, Mukesh was all over the place in his only over.
There was no let up from the Abhishek as he also hammered Chahar for a boundary and a six in the third over but his pyrotechnics ended there as his lofted shot was taken by a diving Jadeja.
Head and Markram consolidated the innings without taking too many risks, reaching 78/1 after six overs. SRH brought up their 100 in the ninth over with Markram hitting a massive six off Jadeja in the ninth over.
Head, the Impact Sub for T Natarajan, was dismissed by Maheesh Theekshana in the 10th over. Pressure had eased out by then as SRH needed just 59 runs from the final 10 overs with eight wickets in hand.
Markram made his first fifty of the season in the 14th over as CSK bowlers toiled to get the wickets. But the South African batter, who captained SRH last season, got out in the same over bowled by compatriot Moeen Ali (2/23) who won an LBW review taken by SRH.
The Hyderabad outfit did not need to press panic button as they needed just 34 runs from the last five overs. Moeen got his second wicket in the form of Shahbaz Ahmed (18), but Heinrich Klaasen (10 not out) and Nitish Kumar Reddy (14 not out) took SRH home.
Earlier, CSK batters failed to capitalise on their starts as they were restricted to a below-par total.
The in-form Shivam Dube top-scored with a 24-ball 45 while veteran Ajinkya Rahane contributed a sedate 35 off 30 balls after CSK were asked to bat. The duo's 65-run partnership for the third wicket from just 6.3 overs was the only highlight of the CSK innings.
CSK added only 37 runs in the last five overs and that proved to be the turning point.
