In the 17th match of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2022, Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) beat Chennai Super Kings (CSK) by eight wickets. Clinical performances from Abhishek Sharma (75) and Rahul Tripathi (39*) helped the 2016 champions to register their first victory.
After winning the toss, Kane Williamson chose to field. A commendable bowling performance restricted Chennai Super Kings to a reasonable total of 154.
Sunrisers Hyderabad commenced the run chase on a higher note as Rahul Tripathi and Williamson gathered 89 runs for the first wicket. The partnership of the two well-set batsmen was broken in the 13th over when the SRH skipper was caught at short covers. The fall of the wicket didn’t matter Sharma as he continued his counterattack. The southpaw didn’t face any issues in the middle as the youngster was timing the ball really well. The number three batsman, Rahul Tripathi didn’t take much time to settle in before he started churning out runs. The opener and Tripathi stitched a quick 55-run partnership before Abhishek was caught at the deep on Dwayne Bravo’s bowling. Nicholas Pooran was the new batsman at number four, the Caribbean batsman managed to get a boundary off the first ball and took the team closer to the target. A couple of deliveries later, Tripathi flicked the ball towards the boundary line to conclude the run chase.
Moeen Ali (48), Ambati Rayudu (27) and Ravindra Jadeja (23) were the top three scorers for the defending champions.
Washington Sundar and T Natarajan pocketed two wickets each for SRH. Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Marco Jansen and Aiden Markram had one scalp each.
For CSK, Mukesh Choudhary and Bravo were the only two bowlers to get a wicket.
With this victory, the Hyderabad-based team has acquired the eighth spot on the points table with two points. Abhishek was adjudged Man of the Match for his 75 off 50 with five boundaries and three sixes.
Scorecard:
Chennai Super Kings: 154/7, Overs 20, Moeen Ali 48, Washington Sunday 2/21
Sunrisers Hyderabad: 155/2, Overs 17.4, Abhishek Sharma 75, Mukesh Choudhary 1/30