Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) delivered a standout all-round performance, defeating Chennai Super Kings (CSK) by five wickets in Match 43 of TATA IPL at the MA Chidambaram Stadium. This victory marked SRH’s first-ever win over CSK in Chennai.
For SRH, it was indeed a night of milestones, while it turned out to be a disappointing evening for the Chepauk crowd. Despite glimpses of promise from young players, CSK struggled to set a challenging total. Captain Pat Cummins’ decision to bowl first proved to be a smart choice as his bowlers, particularly Harshal Patel, restricted CSK to a modest score of 154. Although the chase wasn’t without its difficulties, Kamindu Mendis’ late heroics with the bat ensured SRH reached the target with eight balls to spare.
The match began dramatically when Mohd. Shami, exhibiting his trademark seam movement, took a wicket with the very first delivery. Shaik Rasheed edged the ball to first slip, where Abhishek Sharma executed a sharp catch.
CSK had entrusted their opening partnership to young players Rasheed and 17-year-old Ayush Mhatre. While Rasheed fell early, Ayush showcased impressive composure. The teenager aggressively tackled both Shami and Cummins, hitting six boundaries in a brisk 30 runs off 19 balls. However, Cummins eventually got the last laugh, and by the end of the powerplay, CSK found themselves at 50/3.
As the innings faltered, CSK aimed to rebuild with Ravindra Jadeja and Dewald Brevis. Unfortunately for them, this partnership was short-lived; Kamindu Mendis, brought in for his off-spin, dismissed Jadeja with a delivery that drifted in and held its line.
Brevis provided some excitement for the Chepauk crowd during his CSK debut, mixing caution with aggression. He launched three sixes off Mendis and added another against Harshal Patel. Just as he seemed poised for a bigger innings, he attempted another big shot and was caught at long-off by Mendis, ending Brevis’ entertaining innings of 42 runs off 25 balls.
Following Brevis’ departure, CSK struggled to find momentum. MS Dhoni, playing his 400th T20 match, received loud cheers upon his arrival but fell cheaply. Deepak Hooda tried to rally the innings towards the end, but SRH’s bowlers kept making inroads. Harshal Patel stood out with figures of 4/28, while Cummins and Jaydev Unadkat each took two wickets. Mendis and Shami contributed with one wicket each as CSK was bowled out for 154 in 19.5 overs.
SRH’s chase began similarly to CSK’s, with an early wicket. Abhishek Sharma was dismissed for a duck by Khaleel Ahmed in the very first over. Travis Head and Ishan Kishan then aimed to rebuild the innings, but Head was bowled by Anshul Kamboj just as the powerplay concluded, leaving SRH at 37/2.
CSK continued to claw back into the match when Ravindra Jadeja trapped Heinrich Klaasen in the ninth over. However, Kishan looked assured at the crease, counter-attacking with two sixes to keep the required run rate manageable. The introduction of Noor Ahmad shifted the momentum again, as Kishan fell for a well-made 44 runs off 34 balls following a spectacular catch at the boundary by Sam Curran. Noor quickly struck again, dismissing Aniket Verma and leaving SRH at 106/5, still needing 49 runs from 36 balls.
With the match hanging in the balance, Kamindu Mendis stepped up once more. Having already excelled with the ball and in the field, he now took charge with the bat. Remaining calm under pressure, Mendis played smart cricket, rotating the strike, finding gaps, and punishing anything loose.
He found a capable partner in Nitish Reddy, and together they forged an unbeaten 49-run partnership, guiding SRH to victory in 18.4 overs. Mendis finished unbeaten on 32 runs from 22 deliveries, leading SRH to their historic first win in Chennai in IPL history.
