5 best individual performances in CSK-SRH IPL matches ft. Shane Watson

Intent, freedom, and aggression resonate with both sides in the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) and SunRisers Hyderabad (SRH) rivalry. Both batting units are known to go hard at their opponents.

SRH recently registered the highest-ever IPL total, smashing 277 against Mumbai Indians earlier this season in Hyderabad. And their upcoming IPL 2024 encounter against CSK could be another high-scoring game.

With a win percentage of 73.68% against SRH, CSK have dominated the rivalry over the years. But there have been some great individual performances from both sides in this underrated South India Derby.

In this article, we will discuss some of the top performances in CSK v SRH games over the years.

5 best individual performances in CSK-SRH IPL matches

#5 David Warner (SRH): 90* off 45, IPL 2014, Ranchi

A late flurry from David Hussey (50* off 33 balls) and skipper MS Dhoni (57* off 41 balls) propelled CSK to 185/3 on a Ranchi pitch that was on the slower side.

It was a typical CSK game where the batters piled up the runs for the spinners to come into action. But David Warner had other ideas.

The Australian, along with opening partner Shikhar Dhawan, took on the bowlers from the word go, racing away to 116 runs in just 11 overs. Warner was the more aggressive of the two and scored 90 runs off just 45 balls, with his partner playing the second fiddle.

After his dismissal, CSK tried their best to make a match out of it, but Warner made sure that the required run rate wasn't an issue in the chase, and SRH won the game comfortably in the 20th over.

#4 Rashid Khan (SRH): 2 for 17, IPL 2019, Hyderabad

In a tournament like the IPL, home advantage holds great value. SRH, in IPL 2019, adopted the 'spin it to win it' mantra from CSK and strangled the opponents with it perfectly.

One of the victims of this strategy were CSK themselves as they got battered by Rashid Khan and Co. in the IPL 2019 CSK-SRH encounter.

CSK openers Shane Watson and Faf du Plessis added 80 runs inside 10 overs on a difficult surface to bat on, getting slower as the game progressed. It seemed like they would get to around 160-170 runs, a par total on the surface.

But Rashid Khan's introduction in the attack turned the game on its head, as he dismissed Suresh Raina and Kedar Jadhav in the same over, derailing the CSK innings completely as they managed to score only 132/5. Rashid finished with 2/17 in his spell.

#3 Brendon McCullum (CSK): 100* off 56, IPL 2015, Chennai

It was a batting masterclass from Brendon McCullum on a two-paced surface in Chepauk in the CSK-SRH encounter in IPL 2015. Strike-making wasn't easy on the surface; every CSK batter except McCullum and MS Dhoni struggled to time the ball.

The duo's knocks, McCullum (100* off 56 balls) and Dhoni (53* off 29 balls), took CSK to 209 against a strong SRH bowling attack. The total proved to be instrumental as SRH fell short of the target by 45 runs, with most of their batters struggling to get used to the pace of the surface.

#2 Deepak Chahar (CSK): 3 for 15, IPL 2018, Hyderabad

Ambati Rayudu set the tone for CSK, along with the ever-reliable Suresh Raina, to propel CSK to a formidable total of 182/3 against SRH in this IPL 2018 game in Hyderabad.

But you can't expect a dull moment in the CSK-SRH rivalry, and the chase promised to be a cracker.

Deepak Chahar swung the ball, and the match, in CSK's favor, reducing the Orange Army to 22/3 in just four overs. His victims Ricky Bhui, Manish Pandey, and Deepak Hooda failed to judge the ball's movement and whether to play inside the line or not.

#1 Shane Watson (CSK): 117* off 57, IPL 2018 Final, Mumbai

It required a gritty batting performance from Shane Watson to take CSK to IPL glory in 2018.

The SunRisers Hyderabad innings ebbed and flowed, and vital contributions from Yusuf Pathan, Kane Williamson, and Carlos Braithwaite ensured they finished with 178 on the board in the final.

But when the man in form for CSK, Faf du Plessis, fell into the slower ball trap of Sandeep Sharma and Watson struggled big time to time the ball, it seemed like SRH would repeat their 2016 heroics and add a new chapter to the CSK-SRH rivalry.

But it was time for Watson to repay the faith shown by the management. He decided to up the ante in the sixth over, and there was no looking back after that.

He spared no one, not even the threatening spin duo of Rashid Khan and Shakib Al Hasan, and notched up a memorable century in the final to win CSK their third IPL trophy.