CHRIS DHAMBARAGE
COLOMBO – Sri Lanka’s Maheesh Theekshana and Matheesha Pathirana played a vital role with the ball as the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) cruised to a smashing seven-wicket win over Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) in the 29th match of the 2023 Indian Premier League (IPL) played at the M. A. Chidambaram Stadium in Chepauk, Chennai on Friday.
Right-arm off-spinner Theekshana captured one wicket for 27 and right-arm fast bowler Pathirana returned splendid figures of one wicket for 22 as SRH were restricted to 134 for seven after they were invited to bat first.
CSK then raced to their victory target in style with more than an over to spare as opener Devon Conway hammered an unbeaten 77 from 57 balls – his third straight half century – with the help of one six and a dozen boundaries.
But it was the CSK bowlers who fashioned their fourth win of the current season with a disciplined performance on the field where Ravindra Jadeja had the best figures of three wickets for 22.
Theekshana also helped CSK Skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni complete a piece of history in the shortest format of the game by dismissing SRH Captain Aiden Markram in the 13th over.
The South African right-hander made room to try and slash the ball, but he got his front leg out of the way too and ended up getting a little top edge to Dhoni, who hardly had time to react as the ball stuck into his gloves.
This was Dhoni’s 208th catch in this format and the former Indian wicket-keeper surpassed South Africa’s Quinton de Kock, who topped the list with 207 catches until then.
Four overs later, Pathirana stole the limelight as he sent back SRH wicket-keeper batsman Heinrich Klaasen for 17 as the visitors slumped further to 116 for six wickets.
Klaasen got a length delivery slightly wide of off stump from Pathirana and as he saw the width, he decided to flash hard at the ball.
However, the ball ended up being aerial and Raturaj Gaikwad timed his dive perfectly to take another brilliant catch at extra cover.
Dhoni wrapped things in style with a perfect direct-hit as SRH finished with a first-innings total of 134 for seven.
Chief scores
Sunrisers Hyderabad: 134/7 in 20 overs (Abhishek Sharma 34, Rahul Tripathy 21, Ravindra Jadeja 3/22)
Chennai Super Kings: 138/3 in 18.4 overs (Raturaj Gaikwad 35, Devon Conway 77 n.o, Mayank Markande 2/23).
