IPL 7, Cricket Score, SRH vs CSK: CSK win by 5 wickets

Sharjah: Set a target of 146, Chennai Super Kings defeated Sunrisers Hyderabad by 5 wickets in this 17th match of the IPL. Chennai might have taken things slow but it never looked like they were not in control at any time during the match.

Chennai began well with openers Brendan McCullum and Dwayne Smith playing pacer Dayle Steyn just right to cruise to 12 for no loss in 2 overs.

The openers made merry with shots all around the park to post 72 in 9 overs.

Brendan McCullum was the first to go for 40, bowled Karan Sharma. But CSK continued the good run to bring up their 100 in the 12th over.

The match did go down to the wires after CSK lost Jadeja in the 19th over when the team score was 138/5.

Needing 6 runs in the last over, skipper Dhoni and Manhas saw the team through to win by 5 wickets.

The SRH innings:

Opener Aaron Finch hit a fighting 44-run knock before a splendid rearguard action propelled Sunrisers Hyderbad to a competitive 145 for five against Chennai Super Kings in an Indian Premier League Twenty20 cricket match, here today.

Stroke-making was difficult on the track at the Sharjah Stadium and Chennai bowlers had complete control over the proceedings until the last two overs during which they conceded 32 runs.

Hyderabad's innings was built around Finch's knock that came of 45 balls with five shots to the fence. The Australian batsman held the one end when wickets fell consistently from the other before departing in the fag end.

Finch added 52 runs for the third wicket with Lokesh Rahul (25) and had it not been for some lusty hits by Darren Sammy (23) and Karan Sharma (17) towards the end, Hyderabad would not have posted a decent total.

Sharma hammered paceman Ben Hilfenhaus for two sixes in the penultimate over and Sammy also succeeded in hitting a maximum off Mohit Sharma in the final over.

It was not the best of starts for Hyderabad as Hilfenhaus dismissed skipper Shikhar Dhawan (7) and David Warner (0) in space of three balls in the fifth over.

Dhawan attempted a pull but there was no force in the shot, which landed straight into the hands of Mithun Manhas at mid-wicket. Warner was unlucky to be adjudged leg before since the ball pitched outside leg and was hit too high on the pads of the Australian left-hander.

It was left to Finch, the hero of their last match, to repair the innings and he did not disappoint his side by combining well with young Karnataka batsman Rahul.

They timed the ball well, ran hard and hit the odd boundaries in between. Rahul hit Ravindra Jadeja for a massive six, which landed on the roof of the mid-wicket region.

CSK spinner R Ashwin though kept it tight from one end, giving away just seven runs in his two overs as Hyderabad were 65 for two at half-way stage.

Attempting to accelerate, Rahul went for a big shot but his pull off Dwayne Smith went straight to Ishwar Pandey.

Y Venugopal Rao (13) failed to contribute much and was dismissed by Mohit Sharma. Ashwin returned for his last spell and continued to bowl miserly, conceding just 17 runs in his quota of overs, albeit without a wicket.

The battle so far:

Sunrisers Hyderabad started their IPL-7 campaign on a disappointing note, losing to Rajasthan Royals and Kings XI Punjab in their first two games, but managed to bounce back against Delhi Daredevils by notching up a narrow four-run win in Dubai on Friday.

Two-time champions Chennai Super Kings started their IPL-7 campaign with a loss at the hands of Kings XI Punjab, but they lived up to their reputation by storming back with back-to-back victories over Delhi Daredevils, Rajasthan Royals and defending champions Mumbai Indians.

Going by their form, CSK will definitely start as overwhelming favourites. Last night they defeated Mumbai Indians comprehensively with the in-from Brendon McCullum hitting a belligerent unbeaten 71 and on Sunday also CSK will rely on yet another flying start by the New Zealander along with his opening partner Dwayne Smith.

Teams

Chennai Super Kings: MS Dhoni (c), Suresh Raina, R Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, Dwayne Bravo, Faf du Plessis, Brendon McCullum, Dwayne Smith, Ashish Nehra, Mohit Sharma, Samuel Badree, Ben Hilfenhaus, Matt Henry, B Aparajith, Mithun Manhas, Ishwar Pandey, Pawan Negi, Vijay Shankar, Ronit More, John Hastings.

Sunrisers Hyderabad: Shikhar Dhawan (c), Dale Steyn, David Warner, Darren Sammy, Amit Mishra, Aaron Finch, Irfan Pathan, Ishant Sharma, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Brendan Taylor, Moises Henriques, Venugopala Rao, Jason Holder, S Aniruddha, Manprit Juneja, KL Rahul, Amit Paunikar, Naman Ojha, Ricky Bhui, Ashish Reddy, Chama Milind, Parveez Rasool, Prashanth Parameshwaran, Karn Sharma.