IPL 2020, CSK vs SRH: 3 Closest encounters

Chennai Super Kings will be up against South Indian rivals Sunrisers Hyderabad in Match 14 of Dream 11 IPL. Both teams are languishing at the bottom of the points table with two points apiece from three games.

Reliving last year's encounter vs CSK in today's #SRHComics!#CSKvSRH #OrangeArmy #KeepRising pic.twitter.com/F7mmje1ko8

— SunRisers Hyderabad (@SunRisers) October 1, 2020

The two teams have faced each other 12 times in the past, and the Chennai franchise seem to have the wood on their Hyderabad counterparts, being victorious in nine of those outings.

Four of these nine defeats for Hyderabad came in IPL 2018 (when David Warner was absent), where CSK beat SRH in both league games, the qualifier, and the big final.

The Super Kings will be coming into the game on the back of two defeats whereas SRH conquered DC in their last game. This is the most vulnerable that CSK have been in recent memory, giving the Orange Army the perfect opportunity to better their feeble record against CSK.

Before the South Indian Derby gets underway in IPL 2020, here is a look at the closest encounters between these two sides in the history of the IPL.

3. Match 34, IPL 2013: CSK beat SRH by 5 wickets (two balls to spare)

CSK beat SRH by 5 wickets in IPL 2013 (Image: iplt20.com)

Final Scores:

• SRH: 159/6 (20 overs)
• CSK: 160/6 (19.4 overs)

If you ever want to see a typical MS Dhoni chase in the IPL, this match is strongly recommended. Shikhar Dhawan's 63*(45) at the top of the order and Ashish Reddy's 36(16) towards the end allowed SRH to post a competitive 159/6 in their 20 overs.

CSK paced their chase beautifully. In vintage Dhoni fashion, he gave the opposition a slight glimmer of hope before snatching it away in the final over.

CSK needed 28 runs in the final two overs of the chase. MS Dhoni was set at 40(29) but was running out of partners at the other end. Dale Steyn bowled the 19th over and was taken for 13 runs. With 15 needed off the last over, the game was set for an exciting climax.

But then MS Dhoni happened. Ashish Reddy bowled the 19th over and was taken for two fours and a six by Dhoni, finishing the match in four balls. MS Dhoni ended up with an unbeaten 67(37), once again taking the game deep and bludgeoning the opposition at the death to scale the target.

2. Match 20, IPL 2018: CSK beat SRH by four runs

A brilliant 18th over by Dwayne Bravo swung the game in CSK's favour (Image: iplt20.com)

Final Scores:

• CSK: 182/3 (20 overs)
• SRH: 178/6 (20 overs)

Chennai Super Kings overcame SRH by four runs in a high-scoring chase during IPL 2018. Suresh Raina (54* off 43) and Ambati Rayudu (79 off 37) added 112 runs off 51 balls for the third wicket. MS Dhoni provided the finishing touches with 25*(12) to lift CSK to 182/3.

Despite early wickets, the chase was kept alive by Kane Williamson's 84(51) and Yusuf Pathan's 45(27). SRH required 42 off the last three overs with both batsmen sporting healthy strike-rates. The 18th over bowled by Dwayne Bravo gave away just nine runs and accounted for the big wicket of Williamson. Yusuf Pathan clobbered a six before he too fell to Shardul Thakur in the 19th over. SRH needed an unlikely 19 runs in the last over with Rashid Khan at the crease.

The Afghan leg-spinner (17 off 4) threatened to manufacture a miracle for SRH. Two sixes and a four later, the Hyderabad franchise needed a six off the last ball to secure victory. Dwayne Bravo balled a splendid yorker that Rashid Khan had to dig out, resulting in just a single, and an anti-climatic finish.

1. Qualifier 1, IPL 2018: CSK beat SRH by two wickets (five balls to spare)

Faf du Plessis' heroics helped CSK beat SRH in Qualifier 1 of IPL 2018 (Image: iplt20.com)

Final Scores:

• SRH: 139/7 (20 overs)
• CSK: 140/8 (19.1 overs)

This match saw one of the greatest comebacks by a team in a crunch match. In a low scoring encounter at the Wankhede, CSK yet again proved to be too hot to handle for SRH.

SRH were in all sorts of trouble with their top-order misfiring. At 88/6 in 15 overs, it looked like SRH would hand an easy win to the formidable CSK lineup. Carlos Brathwaite (43* off 29) provided some lusty blows towards the end to elevate their total to 139/7. The final over bowled by Shardul Thakur went for 20 runs as Brathwaite ensured the SRH bowlers had something to bowl to.

CSK's position during the chase was even worse. The Chennai team was 66/6 after 13 overs and seemed to be in all kinds of trouble. At 97/7 after 17 overs, SRH seemed to have secured their spot in the final. Then, Carlos Brathwaite took the ball for the 18th over.

The hand that taketh is the hand that giveth. Brathwaite took 20 off an over. And conceded 20 off an over!

— Harsha Bhogle (@bhogleharsha) May 22, 2018

1,4,6,4,1+wicket,4: Brathwaite, who had scored 20 runs off SRH's final over, conceded the same amount of runs to allow CSK back into the game. Faf du Plessis (67* off 42) hit 17 runs off the 19th over bowled by Siddharth Kaul, leaving just six to get off the final over.

Du Plessis did not waste any time and dispatched the first ball of the 20th over for a maximum and single-handedly guided his team into the finals, which they ultimately won by beating SRH again.

CSK has repeatedly gotten the better of SRH in the past. But IPL is an unpredictable tournament where the better team on the day prevails. Past records do not hold any significance as both teams gunning for a victory.