Watson's heroics make Chennai IPL table-toppers

Shane Watson hit a classy 96 to end a lean patch and hand Chennai Super Kings a 6-wicket win over Sunrisers Hyderabad. CSK are back at the top of the points table.

Chennai: Chennai Super Kings all-rounder Shane Watson smashed 96 runs off 53 balls as CSK thrashed Sunrisers Hyderabad by six wickets in an Indian Premier League (IPL) contest at the MA Chidambaram Stadium, here on Tuesday.

Watson was also supported by middle-order batsmen Suresh Raina and Ambati Rayudu as CSK overhaul Sunrisers Hyderabad's 176-run target with one ball to spare and six wickets in hand.

Chasing a modest target of 176, Chennai's start was a bit as they lost their in-form South African opener Faf Du Plessis in the third over of the game for a controversial run-out.

After the departure of Du Plessis, Watson, who struck six maximum and nine fours, forged a 77-runs partnership with Raina. Rashid Khan finally applied the break on the 77-run stand in the 10th over by removing Raina from the attack.

Suresh Rain looked in great touch as the southpaw scored 38 runs off 24 balls with the help of six fours and one six. However, Rashid Khan got better off him as the Afghan cricketer confuse him with a googly and wicket-keeper Jonny Bairstow removed the bails from the wicket.

Hyderabad skipper Bhuvneshwar Kumar removed dangerous looking Watson from the attack on the very first ball of his fourth over when the Australian was just four runs short from his century.

Rayudu became the first victim of Sandeep Sharma in the last over of the match as DJ Bravo joined Jadhav in the middle when CSK needed just one run to win.

Kedar Jadhav scored the winning runs for CSK as Chennai thrashed Hyderabad by six wickets.

Earlier, Manish Pandey and David Warner struck half-centuries as Sunrisers Hyderabad posted 175/3 in 20 overs against Chennai Super.

Pandey remained unbeaten on 83 off 49 balls with the help of seven fours and three sixes but could not lead his team to an imposing total as Sunrisers managed only 51 runs in the last six overs after Warner's dismissal.

Warner cracked his seventh fifty this season as the dashing left-handed batsman combined with Pandey for a 115-run stand for the second wicket which formed the bedrock of Sunrisers' innings after CSK skipper M.S. Dhoni put them into bat.

For CSK, Harbhajan Singh was the pick of the bowlers with figures of 2/39 in four overs.

The visitors lost Jonny Bairstow (0) -- playing his last IPL game -- early, as the England stumper-batsman was out caught behind trying to cut Harbhajan.

From there on, Warner and Pandey paced their innings perfectly as Sunrisers raced to 91/1 at the halfway stage.

Harbhajan removed Warner in the 14th over with a slower one which the veteran Australian failed to read and came down the track only for Dhoni to effect a brilliant stumping.

Vijay Shankar then joined hands with Pandey for a 47-run partnership before holing out to Ravindra Jadeja at deep midwicket off Deepak Chahar.

Shankar never really got going and after he was removed, Yusuf Pathan (5 not out) also could not up the ante.

READ: Manish Pandey powers SRH to 175/3