Sharjah: The opening combination of Ruturaj Gaikwad (45 off 38) and Faf du Plessis (41 off 36) coupled with some late flourish by Ambati Rayudu on Thursday powered Chennai Super Kings (CSK) to a six-wicket victory over Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) in the Indian Premier League match here at the Sharjah Cricket Stadium.
Earlier, put in to bat, SRH scored a paltry 134 for seven, thanks to some disciplined bowling performance by the Dhoni-led side.
The Sharjah surface, which produced high-scoring games last year, has been a complete contrast this season with its slow nature making stroke-making difficult.
SRH innings never got the momentum it needed and ended up with a total that CSK should chase down comfortably.
Josh Hazlewood (3/24) and Dwayne Bravo (2/17) were the stand out bowlers for CSK.
Wriddhiman Saha played some delightful shots in his 46-ball 44 but the majority of the SRH batsmen struggled to get going.
Saha's two sixes off Deepak Chahar in third over were the highlight of his innings. The first one was a hoick over midwicket and the second one was more like a lofted straight drive that cleared the ropes comfortably.
His opening partner Jason Roy fell cheaply, caught behind off Josh Hazlewood as he went for a wild slog.
Skipper Kane Williamson struck two fours in his run-a-ball 11 before he was trapped in front by Dwayne Bravo with a full ball that swung away slightly to thud into the New Zealander's pads.
SRH were left reeling at 74 for four after a well-set Saha top-edged one off Ravindra Jadeja to be caught by M S Dhoni.
SRH, who reached 97 for four in 15 overs, badly needed a final flourish in the last five overs.
Abdul Samad (18 off 14) and Abhishek Sharma (18 off 13) hit a few sensational shots before Hazlewood removed them in the 17th over.
CSK were brilliant in the death overs conceding only 37 runs.
With PTI
