Chennai Super Kings lost their third match in IPL 2020 as they went down to Sunrisers Hyderabad in match 14 of the season. The Yellow army is at the bottom of the points table as Sunrisers have made steady progress to the top four winning two back to back games. The CSK vs SRH contest has a lot of ebbs and flows to the game and many defining moments as well. Here are the 5 most important talking points from the match.
SRH’s Openers Wobble Again
After making a good start for their team against Delhi Capitals in their last game, David Warner and Jonny Bairstow failed to keep up the good work against Chennai Super Kings. While Bairstow was cleaned up by an inswinger from Deepak Chahar, Warner was caught brilliantly at the boundary by Du Plessis. The inconsistency of the Sunrisers Hyderabad openers to give their team a good start is one of the most crucial talking point from this encounter.
Also Read: IPL 2020: We Assessed The Conditions And Played Well – David Warner
Garg & Abhishek Thrive on The ‘Opportunity’
With the SRH top-order back in the pavillion inside the first 10 overs, Priyam Garg (51) and Abhishek Sharma (31) had a great opportunity to prove their mettle in a crunch situation. They did just that by soaking up the early pressure and then added a 77-run stand from 69 for 4 to bring it to 146 when Abhishek departed. Garg scored his maiden IPL fifty to help SRH finish on 164 for 5 which seemed impossible at the halfway point.
CSK Top-Order Exposed Early
The much-famed CSK top-order looked strong with the return of Ambati Rayudu. However, it was exposed early by the SRH bowlers. Bhuvneshwar Kumar dismissed Shane Watson who has failed to get going do far in the tournament. Rayudu and Kedar Jadhav was then dismissed inside the first 10 overs as all the responsibility was on MS Dhoni’s shoulders. Faf Du Plessis was rather unlucky to be run-out. With 10 matches still to go in the league stage, the management needs to find a way out to get some runs from their middle-order and also perhaps sort out the batting order. Dwayne Bravo not being sent into bat despite his ability to hit big shots is another important talking point from the game. Also, Kedar Jadhav’s utility as a player also needs to be questioned.
MS Dhoni Coming Into Bat At Number 5
Though MS Dhoni found a batting partner in Ravindra Jadeja (50), CSK failed to chase down the target with 78 needed from the last four. MS Dhoni scored an unbeaten 47, still, the question that looms around is whether he could have batted higher. Perhaps above Kedar Jadhav, considering CSK lost early wickets. He came into bat at number five against SRH, still, his team ended up on the losing side. He was troubled by his back and cramps at the fag end of his innings. With experts consistently asking the CSK skipper to bat at number 4, it will be interesting to see if he comes out at that position in the next 10 games.
Chennai Still at The Bottom Of the Points Table
This was their third straight defeat in this IPL. This also means that they still remain at the bottom of the table after their first four games. CSK face Kings XI Punjab next in Dubai on Sunday, October 4.
Also Read: MS Dhoni Rues Poor Fielding After Their Third Consecutive Defeats
