With three successive losses in the opening three matches of the season, Chennai Super Kings had an appalling start to the IPL. The Ruturaj Gaekwad-led team then made a recovery with wins over Delhi Capitals and Kolkata Knight Riders before the team lost by ten runs against Sunrisers Hyderabad on Saturday evening.
Chasing a target of 195 runs, were once placed at 111 for 3 in ten overs, but then could only reach a total of 184 for 8 in 20 overs, resulting in the ten-run loss. Post the loss, captain Ruturaj Gaekwad shared how the team scored just four runs in the next two overs after the tenth over and how chasing 12-13 runs per over at the death was going to be tough for the team in the chase.
“It was just about 80 runs needed in 10 overs (with the bat). From there, it was just about building a couple of partnerships. We scored just 4 runs in the next 2 overs after the 10-over mark. Chasing 12-13 at the death is going to be tough.” Gaekwad said in the post-match presentation.
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had won the toss and opted to bowl first on Saturday. With opener hitting a 15-ball half-century, the hosts raced to 63 for 0 in the first overs before Mukesh Choudhary removed Travis Head and Hyderabad skipper Ishan Kishan in the sixth over. Sharma too fell in the eighth over off the bowling of Jamie Overton after scoring 55 runs, and the Hyderabad side then finished up with a total of 194 for 9 in 20 overs. Gaikwad spoke about how his team thought Hyderabad could score a total of 220-230 runs before his bowlers pulled things back.
“Looking at how their powerplay went, I was looking at a score around 220-230. To pull it back by 30 runs, I would have taken it any day under 200…It’s been three successive games that the bowling unit has been doing really well. Even the powerplay today I thought Abhishek played brilliantly. I think everyone did a good job with the ball,” added Gaekwad.
In the last ten overs of Hyderabad innings, CSK bowlers only gave away 82 runs and picked up six wickets. All-rounder Anshul Kamboj, who gave away 15 runs in his first over of the innings, picked up three wickets in his next two overs picking up the wickets for Heinrich Klassen, Shivang Kumar and Liam Livingstone.
Kamboj removed the hard-hitting Klassen in the 18th over with the South African batsman dragging the angled delivery back to his stumps. Klassen was batting on 59 runs off 39 balls and the Hyderabad side could have scored a total in excess of 220 runs, had Klassen stayed. Kamboj then removed Shivag Kumar and Liam Livingstone in the last over of the innings.
Gaekwad praised Kamboj’s efforts with the ball especially in death overs. “Anshul Kamboj is working really hard on his bowling, especially the death bowling. Very rarely you get bowlers who have clarity and tell the captain that I know what to do, this is what I am going to do,” said Gaekwad.
