IPL 2018, CSK Vs SRH: 5 talking points

#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.