Sunrisers Hyderabad defeated Chennai Super Kings by five wickets ipl 2026 at the MA Chidambaram Stadium on May 18 to officially qualify for the playoffs. Chasing 181, SRH produced a brilliant batting display and completed the chase in 19 overs to consolidate their position in the top four.
Batting first, CSK recovered from a poor start and scored 180/7 in 20 overs. Dewald Brewis played an aggressive inning of 44 runs in just 27 balls and helped Chennai maintain the momentum in the middle overs. The innings also saw useful contributions from the lower middle order, helping the hosts reach a competitive total on a batting-friendly surface.
For Hyderabad, captain Pat Cummins led from the front with the ball and finished with impressive figures of 3/28 from four overs. Young fast bowler Saqib Hussain also bowled important spells, taking 2 for 34 and putting pressure on CSK's batting order at crucial moments.
In reply, SRH remained in control throughout the chase thanks to a composed innings from Ishan Kishan. The wicketkeeper-batsman led the innings brilliantly, scoring 70 runs off 47 balls, which included several fours and sixes. His partnership with the middle order ensured that Hyderabad kept ahead of the required run rate and comfortably crossed the finish line with six balls to spare.
For Chennai, Mukesh Choudhary was the most successful bowler, finishing with figures of 2/36 from his four overs. Despite some successes, CSK failed to prevent Hyderabad's strong batting unit from securing a crucial win.
talking points:
Pat Cummins shakes up CSK's batting unit
Sunrisers Hyderabad captain Pat Cummins bowled a brilliant spell with the ball and completely destabilized the Chennai Super Kings batting line-up. The Australian fast bowler consistently bowled difficult length and accurate balls, making it difficult for the batsmen to stay at the crease. Cummins took the crucial wickets of Sanju Samson, Ruturaj Gaikwad and Karthik Sharma, dismantling CSK's batting order and putting the hosts under immense pressure.
Dewald Brevis provided some resistance
Despite regular fall of wickets at the other end, Dewald Brevis stood firm and played a counter-attacking innings for Chennai. The young South African batsman scored 44 runs in just 27 balls at an excellent strike rate of 162.96, hitting two fours and four sixes. His aggressive approach in the middle overs gave CSK some momentum and helped the team recover from difficult situations. Brevis's innings played an important role in taking Chennai closer to 180 runs.
Sunrisers Hyderabad completed the chase comfortably
Chasing the target of 181 runs, SRH played the innings calmly and controlled most of the runs. Although they lost a few early wickets, the experienced duo of Heinrich Klaasen and Ishan Kishan carried the innings forward with a crucial 75-run partnership. Kishan chased the target brilliantly with a composed half-century, while Klaasen played an aggressive supporting role. Their partnership almost sealed the contest, before the middle order comfortably completed the chase with an over to spare.
who said what?
Ruturaj Gaikwad, Chennai Super Kings (losing captain)
It was a good game of cricket. It was a good pitch for T-20, there was not much change. Just missed out by a few, but still proud of the boys. After the fall of the opposition team's wicket, there was a need to capitalize on the opportunity, but it could not happen. Honestly, there are a lot of positives. Samson is playing really well for us. Some key players missed out. It depends on many factors. Today everyone opened their hearts, proud of the boys. Fans support us in every comfort. This year we were much better than last year.
Pat Cummins, Sunrisers Hyderabad (winning captain)
Really satisfying. Very difficult wicket to bat on. that partnership [between Kishan and Klaasen] Was really difficult. He just picked his match-up and played some ridiculous shots. When we were bowling, we felt that it was staying a little low. It seemed that the matter was limited to one or two partnerships. It felt like it was almost a tie. We can't give ourselves a better chance than what we have. The real thing starts now. there are always some things [to work on]. Overall, really happy.
Ishan Kishan, Player of the Match
When I was keeping, I felt the wicket was not easy – especially when the spinners were bowling, and the slower balls were working really well. I just had to play till the last over. It was just about being there and believing in yourself. You cannot doubt yourself at any time. Being in the middle makes it difficult for bowlers to get it right every time. We both [me and Klaasen] We were just playing our shots… I was just feeling blessed from above.
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