Sunrisers Hyderabad finally broke their winless streak against Chennai Super Kings at the Chepauk Stadium, securing their first-ever away win against CSK in IPL history. A brilliant bowling display, led by Harshal Patel, and a composed partnership between Kamindu Mendis and Nitish Kumar Reddy ensured SRH chased down the target with ease. Despite solid performances from Dewald Brevis and Ayush Mhatre, CSK suffered their fourth home defeat of the season.
Toss and Team News
SRH skipper Pat Cummins won the toss and elected to bowl first. They went in unchanged, while CSK made two changes — bringing in Dewald Brevis and Deepak Hooda in place of Ravindra Jadeja and Vijay Shankar.
Chennai Super Kings:
Shaik Rasheed, Ayush Mhatre, Sam Curran, Ravindra Jadeja, Dewald Brevis, Shivam Dube, Deepak Hooda, MS Dhoni (c & wk), Noor Ahmad, Khaleel Ahmad, Matheesha Pathirana
Impact Subs: Kamboj, Ashwin, Overton, Nagarkoti, Ghosh
Sunrisers Hyderabad:
Abhishek Sharma, Ishan Kishan, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Heinrich Klaasen, Aniket Verma, Kamindu Mendis, Pat Cummins (C), Harshal Patel, Jaydev Unadkat, Zeeshan Ansari, Mohammed Shami
Impact Subs: Head, Manohar, Baby, Chahar, Mulder.
Mhatre and Brevis Steady the Ship After Early Blows
CSK had a nightmare start as Shaik Rasheed edged the first ball from Mohammed Shami to slip. Sam Curran didn’t last long either, falling for just 9 runs. With CSK at 2 down early, young Ayush Mhatre provided some momentum with a brisk 30, helping the Super Kings post 50 runs in the powerplay despite losing three wickets.
Dewald Brevis, replacing Ravindra Jadeja in the XI, stood out with his aggressive batting. He took the attack to Kamindu Mendis, smashing three huge sixes in one over, and later hit Harshal Patel for another maximum. However, a stunning catch by Mendis brought Brevis’ explosive innings of 42 to an end.
Harshal Patel was the star with the ball, claiming 4 wickets for just 28 runs with his clever use of short balls into the pitch. Cummins and Unadkat supported well with two wickets each, as CSK were bowled out for 154 — a total that looked below-par considering their position at one stage.
CSK Strike Early but Mendis-Reddy Duo Clinches Victory
SRH’s chase started shakily, with Abhishek Sharma falling to Khaleel Ahmad on just the second ball. Impact sub Travis Head once again struggled, managing only 19 off 16. Klaasen, one of SRH’s most reliable batters this season, also failed to fire, scoring just 7. By the halfway stage, SRH were 54/3 in 8.1 overs and in a precarious position.
Ishan Kishan brought some stability with a fluent 44 but was dismissed by Noor Ahmad just as he looked set. Aniket Verma’s 19 off 19 was a valuable contribution, but his dismissal left SRH needing 49 runs from the final six overs, with five wickets down.
That’s when Kamindu Mendis and Nitish Kumar Reddy stepped up. The pair put together a calm yet commanding partnership, with Mendis playing the role of the aggressor, finishing with 32 off 22 balls. Reddy anchored from the other end with a composed 19 off 13 as SRH sealed a five-wicket win with 8 balls to spare.
CSK’s bowlers, especially Khaleel Ahmad and impact sub Anshul Kamboj, bowled tight spells upfront, conceding only 37 runs in six overs combined. Noor Ahmad picked up two wickets but was a bit expensive. However, the death overs proved costly and the Mendis-Reddy stand turned the tide decisively in SRH’s favor.
Man of the Match
Harshal Patel was deservedly named Man of the Match for his game-changing spell of 4/28, which set the foundation for SRH’s historic win in Chennai.