Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) registered a commanding five-wicket victory over Chennai Super Kings (CSK) in their Indian Premier League (IPL) clash on Friday, thanks to a stellar performance by pacer Harshal Patel at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai.
Harshal was the standout performer, delivering a brilliant spell of 4/28 to help restrict CSK to 154 in 19.5 overs. His scalps included key players Sam Curran, the in-form Dewald Brevis, skipper MS Dhoni, and Noor Ahmad. For his match-winning effort he was deservedly named ‘Player of the Match’.
Reflecting on the win, Harshal expressed satisfaction at the team’s all-round performance.
“Very pleasing win,” he said after the match.
“We’ve been trying to put it all together over the last 3-5 games, but something always seemed to be missing. To have everything click now, when we need to win all our remaining games, is very satisfying.”
Harshal revealed his strategy was to bowl hard lengths and target the stumps on a pitch that made strokeplay difficult.
“I figured out early that hitting the right lengths and aiming at the stumps was the key. It was tough to hit horizontal-bat shots, so I wanted the batters to try and take me on over square leg or mid-wicket,” he explained.
About Brevis’s dismissal, he added, “I wasn’t trying to bowl wide. I just stuck to my plan, and I’m glad it worked.”
He also credited his family for helping him stay grounded amidst the pressures of professional cricket.
“Having my family around helps me switch off from cricket. It reminds me that cricket is not the be-all and end-all,” Harshal noted.
Opting to bowl first, SRH kept CSK under pressure with regular wickets. Dewald Brevis (42 off 25, 1 four and 4 sixes) and Ayush Mhatre (30 off 19, 6 fours) were the only bright spots for CSK, who were bowled out for 154. Jaydev Unadkat also contributed with the ball, picking up 2/21 in 2.5 overs.
During the chase, SRH had a few nervy moments, especially when they were reduced to 106/5 in 13.5 overs. But composed knocks from Ishan Kishan (44 off 34, 5 fours and 1 six) and Kamindu Mendis (32* off 22, 3 fours) guided them home with eight balls to spare.
Noor Ahmad (2/42) was the most successful bowler for CSK.
With this win, SRH climbed to eighth place on the points table with six points (3 wins, 6 losses), while CSK dropped to the bottom, managing just four points from two wins in nine games.
(With ANI inputs)
