CSK vs SRH IPL 2018 Match Report: Rayudu’s ton powers Chennai to 8-wicket win

Ambati Rayudu’s maiden IPL ton helped Chennai Super Kings (CSK) complete a double over Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) as they beat SRH by 8 wickets in the 46^th match of Indian Premier League (IPL) 2018. It was pitched as the battle between the best chasers and the best defenders, and clearly the Super Kings reigned supreme over Hyderabad with a clinical chase. With 16 points in the kitty, CSK are all but into the playoffs.

Chasing a competitive 180, MoM Rayudu (100*) and Shane Watson (57) shared a superb 134-run opening stand before the latter was run out. They came out all guns blazing as they smacked the best bowling line-up of IPL 2018 all around the park. Even as Watson and Raina got out in quick succession, Rayudu didn’t stop his audacious strokeplay as MS Dhoni (20*) added his finishing touch to a perfect chase as Chennai reached the target with one over to spare.

Find the full match scorecard here.

Asked to bat first, Hyderabad put up their highest total of the tournament riding on a 123-run partnership between Shikhar Dhawan (79) and Kane Williamson (51). Chennai never allowed SRH to take off as the ball swung early. Dhawan and Williamson did give SRH a good launchpad but their dismissals off consecutive balls meant CSK restricted them to 179/4 in their quota of 20 overs. Chennai bowlers were excellent upfront and they also pulled things back at the death.

Catch all the highlights from the game here.

Turning Point

Rayudu and Watson’s opening stand of 134 runs was the turning point of the match as it made the contest one-sided. Their assault on SRH bowlers was such that Hyderabad never looked like coming back in the game.

Best Dismissal

Shardul Thakur bowled a genuine out-swinger in the 17th over which Kane Williamson sliced uppishly. Dwayne Bravo, fielding at deep backward point, came running and took a brilliant catch at the third man boundary to send Williamson back to the dugout. It is the best dismissal of the match.

Batsman of the Match

Rayudu’s brand of fearless batting which saw him hit his first IPL ton makes him the batsman of the match. While Watson began the aggression, Rayudu picked up quickly and never slowed down till the match got over. 7 sixes and an equal number of fours are just proof of that.

Bowler of the Match

Coming back from an injury, Deepak Chahar displayed an exhibition of top-class swing bowling that helped him end with figures of 1/16. He is the bowler of the match.

What’s next

Hyderabad take on Royal Challengers Bangalore at the Chinnaswamy Stadium on Thursday and Chennai travel to Delhi to lock horns with the Daredevils at the Feroz Shah Kotla on Friday.

Points Table

The result of this game hasn’t changed the positions of the two teams. But with this win, CSK have 16 points from 12 games. SRH suffered their third loss of the season but are still at the No. 1 spot with 18 points from 12 matches.

Check out the updated points table here.