Hyderabad: Sunrisers Hyderabad (194/9 in 20 overs) defeated Chennai Super Kings (184/8 in 20 overs) by 10 runs here on Saturday to climb to fourth place on the points table. Meanwhile, Chennai remained down in eighth position.
Chennai had come into this match against Hyderabad after ending a three-match losing streak with back-to-back wins, but were denied a hat-trick of victories. Hyderabad’s pace bowler Eshan Malinga picked up three wickets, Nitish Kumar Reddy took two, while pacers Saqib Hussain, Praful Hinge, and left-arm spinner Shivang Kumar claimed one wicket each.
Chennai’s hopes faded after the dismissals of Matthew Short (34 off 30 balls) in the 16th over and Shivam Dube (21 off 16 balls) in the 17th over. Short was dismissed by Eshan Malinga, while Dube fell to Saqib Hussain.
Pace bowler Praful Hinge, who had grabbed headlines with a four-wicket haul against Rajasthan on April 13, went wicketless in his first spell, conceding 54 runs. His first three overs were expensive, with a high economy rate of 18.00. However, he made a strong comeback in the final over, conceding less than 18 runs and picking up a crucial wicket.
In the closing moments, Jamie Overton (16 runs) and Anshul Kamboj (13 not out) failed to take Chennai over the line. This season’s first centurion, Sanju Samson, was dismissed for just seven runs by Nitish Reddy. Ayush Mhatre contributed 30 runs, while captain Ruturaj Gaikwad managed only 19.
Earlier, Hyderabad posted 194 for 9. Opener Abhishek Sharma gave them a blistering start with 59 runs off just 22 balls, including four sixes and six fours, before Chennai’s pacers applied the brakes. Alongside him, Heinrich Klaasen also scored 59 runs off 39 balls, hitting two sixes and six fours, playing a key role in the total.
Abhishek Sharma and Travis Head (23 runs) added 75 runs for the opening partnership. For Chennai, pacers Anshul Kamboj and Jamie Overton took three wickets each, while Mukesh Kumar claimed two.
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Earlier, Chennai captain Ruturaj Gaikwad had won the toss and opted to field. MS Dhoni missed this match as well due to fitness issues.