IPL 2018, CSK Vs SRH: 5 talking points

Sunrisers Hyderabad took on Chennai Super Kings in the first qualifier of the 2018 IPL edition at the Wankhede stadium in Mumbai.

The two teams had topped the points table after the group stages and hence this was expected to be a pulsating encounter, and boy did they live up to that billing.

After a below par performance with the bat, the SRH bowlers made the Chennai batsmen dance to their tunes and almost managed to eke out a victory for their team. So without further ado, let's have a look at the major talking points from the game.

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#5 SRH have a torrid start with the bat

After winning the toss, Dhoni did not hesitate to put SRH to bat first. Wankhede generally has historically been a batsman's paradise, but this time around, the bowlers have had a greater say here especially in the initial few overs.

Chennai bowlers were on the prowl right from the word go and backed their captain's decision by taking wickets at regular intervals.

Shikhar Dhawan, who has been in pretty good form of late was scalped by Deepak Chahar for a golden duck while Goswami was accounted for by Lungi Ngidi.

Once their captain was dismissed, their fragile middle order did not show enough stomach for a fight, failing to inject any momentum into the innings or building any partnerships worth notable.

Credit must be given to the CSK bowlers for maintaining tight lines and lengths, not allowing the batsmen to score runs freely. Manish Pandey continued his barren run of form and persisted after scoring a scratchy 8 off 16 balls.

Pathan, too, looked fidgety in his batting but managed to contribute 24 runs to the total. Although their bowlers bowled their hearts out, the SRH thinktank will go back to drawing board with worried faces about their batting lineup for the Eliminator.

#4 Tale of two batsmen

A rare off-day for the Kiwi

Ahead of the big qualifier, most SRH fans had pinned their hopes on Kane Williamson to score a bulk of their runs. Given the tremendous form he was in, the expectations of fans were justified.

After those early dismissals, Williamson went about resurrecting the Hyderabad innings with his brilliant strokeplay and looked comfortable during his stay at the pitch. However, SRH were shot a major blow in the arm when the skipper was dismissed for 24, with Shardul Thakur claiming the prized wicket.

The innings seemed to be going downhill without their talisman before the big Carribean Carlos Brathwaite, entered into the arena. After getting a feel of the pitch, he started teeing off in the death overs with Thakur having to bear the brunt of his willow. Brathwaite struck a priceless 29-ball 43 which was laced with 1 hit to the boundary and 4 hits over it.

He was particularly severe on the medium pace of Thakur for whom he developed a special liking and thrashed him all around the stadium and scoring 20 runs off him in his last over. All of his efforts went in vain as CSK completed a treble over SRH this season.

#3 Faf du Plessis fights a lone battle

Faf du Plessis

After Sam Billings failed to get a big score in the last game, he was dropped in favour of South African limited-overs captain Faf du Plessis for the match. Although eyebrows were raised at this decision, Faf almost single-handedly led his team to victory and the Final, bringing all his experience to the fore. With wickets falling around him like nine pins, he decided to grind it out and take the game deep, a-la Dhoni style.

Struggling to get going in his initial part of the innings, he opened up his arms and started playing his strokes. Even when the required run rate going over 12 and SRH bowlers dominating the play, he believed in himself to get the job done.

When Brathwaite came on to bowl the 18th over, he was targeted and to the dismay of Williamson, ended up conceding 20 runs in that over, gifting away the momentum right back to Chennai. Faf accepted it with glee and put the contest beyond SRH.

Thanks to a little cameo from Shardul Thakur who redeemed himself by scoring a belligerent 15 from 5, just 6 runs were required to score off the last over and it quite fittingly that Faf du Plessis scored the winning runs, sending CSK fans into delirium.

#2 Thriller at its very best

Ater facing a lot of flak for his mediocre performances, Bravo found his groove on the night.

In a match where momentum swung in both the team's favour - and against - them like a pendulum, Chennai ran out deserving winners for holding their nerves at critical moments, while the Hyderabad outfit were left to rue the missed chances.

Just when everyone thought that the contest ended after a yet another timid batting display from SRH, Brathwaite swung his bat to lead his team to a respectable score. The score seemed a bit below par and with the CSK batsmen enjoying a wonderful season, the chase was expected to be a cakewalk.

However, the SRH bowlers had other ideas in their minds and started to apply their infamous choke which has been a recurring theme this season. When Dhoni got out to a cunning googly from Rashid Khan, it was supposedly the final nail in the coffin. Siddharth Kaul had wreaked havoc with the new ball, accounting for two key batsmen with his guile.

The spinners restricted the run rate in the middle overs and Hyderabad were just feeling to get comfortable when du Plessis rose back from the dead and scrapped his team through. That was one bonker of a match which sets the tone for the remaining three games.

Bring some more of these please, will ya?

#1 Can CSK win the title again?

The final flourish?

After the IPL auctions, this Chennai team was ridiculed for having too many senior players in the squad, some of them who were believed to be in the final stages of their careers. "Daddy Army","Old-age-home" were some of the phrases used for describing the team.

However, the experienced players showed tremendous spirit and dedication to put in commendable performances, and it wouldn't be unfair to say that they have deserved to reach the finals.

As the saying goes, 'Adversity brings out the best in you', the tough times saw Chennai players putting their hands up at critical times and coasting their team to pole positions. Watson has enjoyed a purple patch up the order, while Rayudu has been in unstoppable form, scoring runs for fun.

Harbhajan himself has been fundamental to the side along with Jadeja in the middle overs while Dhoni has destroyed his critics by displaying unparalleled performances time and again. Though their best bowler, Bravo has struggled with consistency this season, the other bowlers have collectively tangled the oppositions.

Whoever they meet in the final, it will be advantage CSK in the final, given their experience of playing at the same ground and delivering a statement.

That they will enjoy a couple of days' rest is bound to give music to the ears of these "old" warriors.