Match 46 of the Indian Premier League (IPL 2024) saw Ruturaj Gaikwad and Co. take home the 2 points after beating SunRisers Hyderabad by 78 runs in Chennai on April 28.
Sling in the ring! ⚡️#CSKvSRH #WhistlePodu 🦁💛
— Chennai Super Kings (@ChennaiIPL) April 28, 2024
Gaikwad’s 98 Took CSK To 200+ Total
Opting to bat first, Chennai wasn’t expecting the visitors to make that decision, especially after their recent loss to RCB. CSK’s opening batsmen, Ajinkya Rahane and Ruturaj Gaikwad, didn’t start off strongly, with Rahane departing early after scoring just 9 runs off a delivery by Bhuvneshwar Kumar.
However, Gaikwad continued his innings with determination, forming a solid 107-run partnership with Daryll Mitchell from New Zealand, which helped maintain a decent run rate for CSK.
Even after Daryll was dismissed for 52 runs, Gaikwad continued his aggressive batting, scoring at a strike rate exceeding 150. His captain’s innings of 98 off 54 balls led CSK to a competitive total of 212/3 in 20 overs. Gaikwad’s performance indicates his potential as a valuable option for Team India, particularly with the T20 World Cup 2024 approaching.
MS Dhoni received a warm welcome at Chepauk as he stepped onto the pitch, contributing 5 runs in a brief 4-ball cameo. His consistent contributions, including this one, have been crucial for CSK this IPL season.
Facing a team known for their strong powerplay performances, Chennai knew they needed to post a substantial total to stand a chance of securing victory.
CSK Bowlers Restrict SRH To 134
In reply, fans got to witness a repeat of SRH’s game against Royal Challengers Bengaluru as openers Travis Head and Abhishek Sharma failed yet again to give a good start to the team when batting second. Both Travis and Abhishek were taken out of the game within the first 4 overs with the score at 40/3 in 3.5 overs.
Tushar Deshpande starred on the night as the pacer single-handedly took out the SRH top 3 batters in front of his home crowd. He later took out skipper Pat Cummins as well, completing 4 scalps on the night. Aiden Markram tried to propel the visitors to a better strike rate but eventually had to depart after scoring 32 runs.
Matheesha Pathirana also produced magic with his spell, taking 2 wickets in his first 2 overs to eliminate any kind of risk from the batting lineup.
Markram eventually top-scored for the SunRisers Hyderabad as the away side couldn’t snatch the victory from CSK which saw them lose back-to-back games in the tournament. Chennai on the other hand got themselves to 10 points in the table, leveling them with 2nd place KKR as well.
Also Read: IPL 2024: Ruturaj Gaikwad Inspires CSK To 212/3 Against Hyderabad
