Sunrisers Hyderabad secured an IPL play-off place with a tense five-wicket win over Chennai Super Kings at the M.A. Chidambaram Stadium on Monday, while Gujarat Titans also confirmed qualification.
Pat Cummins led the charge with the ball. The Hyderabad captain took 3-28 and broke Chennai’s momentum at regular intervals as the hosts finished on 180-7 in their final home game of the season.
Cummins struck first when he removed Sanju Samson for 27. He then dismissed Ruturaj Gaikwad for 15 and Kartik Sharma for 32 as Chennai struggled to build sustained partnerships.
Dewald Brevis counterattacked with 44 from 27 balls and shared a 59-run stand with Shivam Dube. Chennai looked set for a bigger finish before Eshan Malinga bowled Brevis and Sakib Hussain removed Dube.
Hyderabad lost Travis Head for six and Abhishek Sharma for 26 during the chase, but Ishan Kishan and Heinrich Klaasen rebuilt calmly. The pair added 75 runs and shifted pressure back onto Chennai.
Kishan attacked square boundaries and punished loose bowling during his 70 from 47 balls. He struck seven fours and three sixes. Klaasen added 47 before Noor Ahmad dismissed him short of a half-century.
Nitish Kumar Reddy fell late, but Hyderabad kept control. Kishan departed after steering the chase deep into the innings before Ravichandran Smaran sealed victory with the winning boundary.
“Really satisfying,” Cummins said. “It was a bit different to how we’d normally play. It was a pretty tough wicket there to bat.
“I thought the way the guys, Klassy and Ishan, chased down, it was really gutsy, so very happy.”
The result left five teams fighting for the final remaining play-off spot. Defending champions Royal Challengers Bengaluru had already secured qualification earlier in the tournament.
Chennai’s campaign now hangs in the balance after another home defeat.
“We lost a couple of games at home, but I think, compared to last year, we were still very much better this year,” Gaikwad said.
“And definitely coming here next year will be a much stronger unit.”