Ishan Kishan produced an innings of character and led an impeccable chase as Sunrisers Hyderabad pulled off an enthralling five-wicket victory at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai on Monday.
The wicketkeeper-batter’s 70 off 47 balls with seven boundaries and three sixes ensured that Sunrisers reached the target with six balls to spare against the Chennai Super Kings. The Pat Cummins-led franchise thus made it to the playoffs along with Gujarat Titans.
RCB have already made it to the knockouts. The Super Kings kept their slim chances alive by a slim thread. They will compete with Punjab Kings, Rajasthan Royals, Delhi Capitals and Kolkata Knight Riders for the final spot in the playoffs.
Mahendra Singh Dhoni made it to the ground for the first time in a home match in this edition but watched in dismay from the dressing room as CSK fought hard, defending a total of 180. However Ishan’s innings of substance and utter brilliance from Heinrich Klaasen won in the end.
Ishan’s brilliant batting on slow wickets have been well-documented during the T20 World Cup. The T20 World Cup game in Colombo against Pakistan, when he scored 75 while the rest of the batters struggled around him is an example.
On Monday too, he struggled, but his determination finally carried him through. He showed the skill in putting the bad balls away. Those leg side whips and flaps with
disdain were the highlight of his innings.
Klaasen too was impressive. His strike-rate of 180-plus showed the control he enjoyed in the middle. His presence was enough to make CSK nervous as he added 75 off 41 balls with Ishan.
Brevis show
Pat Cummins (3/28), Eshan Malinga (1/26) and Sakib Hussain (2/34) combined beautifully on a slow pitch where the ball was stopping on the batter. Sanju Samson (27 off 13), Kartik Sharma (32 off 19) and Dewald Brevis (44 off 27) combined well to take the home team to 181/6 but that proved to be inadequate.
The way Brevis batted on a difficult surface was a treat to the fans. The cult following he enjoys in Chennai is something special. There’s no doubt about the talent at his disposal, the unconventional shots he plays and his ability to attack both spin and pace.