IPL 2018, Qualifier 1, SRH vs CSK: 5 reasons why Hyderabad lost to Chennai

It was built as the clash of the best batting side and the best bowling side of the tournament as the Chennai Super Kings took on the Sunrisers Hyderabad in the first Qualifier at the Wankhede stadium.

MS Dhoni won the toss and decided to field first, hoping for the dew factor to kick in the second innings. Hyderabad got off to the worst possible start as Shikhar Dhawan was dismissed on the very first ball of the match.

Kane Williamson too could not come up with the goods this time as he was strangled down the leg side. The Sunrisers kept on losing wickets at regular intervals. A late blitzkrieg from Carlos Brathwaite helped them post a score of 139 runs on the board. In reply, Chennai got off to a poor start as they lost their top order with just 24 runs on the board.

Dhoni could not do much of note as well as his stumps were disturbed by Rashid Khan. The match looked lost to CSK but Faf du Plessis had some other plans. His brilliant innings single-handedly got Chennai home with 5 balls to spare in what turned out to be a thrilling contest. Let us have a look at five reasons why Sunrisers lost the contest.

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#1 Top order fails to rise to the occasion

The Sunrisers are a top-heavy side when it comes to batting. The likes of Shikhar Dhawan and Kane Williamson have carried Hyderabad’s batting on their shoulders throughout the season.

However, they could not repeat their heroics today as Dhawan dragged the first ball of the match on to his stumps. His opening partner Shreevats Goswami played a rash shot and gave a simple return catch to Lungi Ngidi.

Kane Williamson looked good at the crease and got a few boundaries away. But he was unlucky, as he was caught by Dhoni in a strangle down the leg side. Hyderabad lost 3 wickets with just 36 runs on the board and it was always going to be an uphill task from there on.

#2 Lack of initiative in the middle overs

The Sunrisers lost 4 wickets for just 51 runs and needed to rebuild after that. Manish Pandey and Yusuf Pathan took their time in the middle and started to nudge singles around. The duo went so much in the shell that they let the Chennai bowlers dictate things.

No attempt was made to play the big shots. Just 45 runs were scored during overs 7 to 16. Although Carlos Brathwaite did hit some lusty blows at the end it was never going to be enough.

#3 Jadeja’s frugal spell

Ravindra Jadeja has had an average tournament with the ball this season. He has been used sparingly by Dhoni this year. However, Jadeja bowled an excellent spell today as he did not give away even a single bad delivery to the Hyderabad’s batsmen and bowled a tight wicket to wicket line.

His tight spell in the middle overs kept the stranglehold on Hyderabad’s batsmen and tightened Chennai’s grip on the match. Jadeja also got the wicket of Manish Pandey in the process. His final figures read 13/1 off the 4 overs that he bowled.

#4 Du Plessis’s amazing innings

Faf du Plessis had struggled for runs in the IPL this season before today’s game. He was left out of the team in favour of Sam Billings. The Chennai team management decided to stick with his experience for today’s big game and the move paid off.

Du Plessis kept on losing partners at the other end but he stood firm. He paced his innings to perfection, starting off with ones and twos and going for the big shots when full set. He smashed Carlos Brathwaite for 20 runs in the 18th over to get Chennai back in the match. His 42-ball 67* helped Chennai pull off one of the biggest heists in IPL history.

#5 Poor death bowling

The Sunrisers bowling attack came out all guns blazing and completely dismantled the Chennai batting line up for the first 17 overs. With 43 runs needed from the last 3 overs and just 3 wickets in hand, the game was in the pocket for Hyderabad but somehow they let it slip away.

In a bizarre decision, the ball was thrown to Brathwaite in the 18th over instead of the reliable Sandeep Sharma. Du Plessis cashed on the opportunity with both hands, smashing 20 runs from the over.

The penultimate over was delivered by Siddarth Kaul who somehow managed to concede 3 boundaries to the No. 10 Shardul Thakur. The equation boiled down to 6 needed from the last over and Du Plessis finished off the things in style by smashing a straight six off the first ball.

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