Chennai Super Kings Shivam Dube plays a shot during the Indian Premier League 2024 match against Sunrisers Hyderabad in Hyderabad on April 5, 2024.
| Photo Credit: B. Jothi Ramalingam

An inspired collective bowling performance from its pacers, followed by Abhishek Sharma and Aiden Markram’s fireworks with the bat, ensured Sunrisers Hyderabad coasted to an easy six-wicket win over Chennai Super Kings at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium here on Friday.

Sunrisers’s four-pronged pace attack restricted CSK to just 165 for five on a slow surface after electing to field. The Hyderabad bowlers quickly assessed the conditions, bowling into the pitch with a mix of cutters and slow bouncers, taking pace off their deliveries.

SRH vs CSK Live Score IPL 2024

Defending a modest total, Super Kings got off the wrong foot when Moeen Ali dropped Travis Head off the second ball at first slip. It was a sign of things to come as Abhishek tore apart the Chennai bowling attack in the PowerPlay with a 12-ball 37 (3×4, 4×6).

The left-hander smashed Mukesh Choudhary for three sixes and two boundaries as 27 came off the second over. He then hit Deepak Chahar for a six and four before the bowler got the better of him, but not before doing substantial damage. Travis Head (31) and Aiden Markram (50, 36b, 4×4, 1×6) then did not take their foot off the pedal as they made short work of the Chennai bowlers to take their team past 100 in the ninth over.

Though the defending champion fought back with three quick wickets, SRH was well ahead by then and got over the line with 11 balls to spare to get its second win. It was surprising why the CSK think-tank failed to employ the spinners — it had four in its ranks — earlier than it did.

Earlier, the Super Kings batters struggled for rhythm and played out 39 dot balls as Pat Cummins, Jaydev Unadkat, and Bhuvneshwar Kumar kept a tight leash on scoring.

Only Shivam Dube infused some life into his side’s batting effort with a quickfire 45 (24b, 2×4, 4×6). Dube got going by hitting Shahbaz for a six and four.

In the next over, he took on leggie Mayank Markande, clubbing him through covers for a four before a slog-swept six over square leg. He then hit left-arm pacer T. Natarajan for consecutive sixes over the leg side.

But once Cummins got Dube with a slow bouncer, the boundaries dried up as CSK managed just 38 off the last five and slumped to its second defeat.

New Zealand’s Mitchell Santner (L) leaves the field as England’s Moeen Ali (3R) celebrates taking his wicket during the second ODI at The Ageas Bowl in Southampton, England on September 10, 2023.
| Photo Credit: AFP

England all-rounder Moeen Ali completed 100 wickets in ODI cricket on Sunday, becoming the only third spinner from the country to do so. 

Moeen reached this milestone during England’s second ODI against New Zealand at Southampton. During the match, the spinner bowled well, taking 2/30 in five overs at a decent economy rate of 6.00. He took the crucial wickets of in-form all-rounder Daryl Mitchell and Mitchell Santner. 

Moeen also contributed 33 runs off 32 balls with his bat, smacking three boundaries and a six. Now in 130 ODIs, Moeen has 101 wickets at an average of 49.20, with the best bowling figures of 4/46.

Anderson at top

England spin bowlers with more ODI wickets than Moeen are Graeme Swann (104 wickets in 79 matches) and Adil Rashid (184 wickets in 126 matches). Adil is England’s third most-successful ODI bowler ever while Moeen sits at 14th spot. With 269 wickets in 194 matches, pacer James Anderson is England’s most successful ODI bowler ever. 

Coming to the match, after being put to bat first, early powerplay strikes by a returning Trent Boult reduced England to 55/5, with skipper Jos Buttler (30 in 25 balls, with four boundaries) being the only decent contributor among the top five batters. Then Livingstone had a 48-run stand with Moeen (33 in 32 balls with three fours and a six) that helped England reach the 100-run mark and then a 112-run stand with Sam Curran (42 in 35 balls, with one four and two sixes) that helped England reach 226/7 in 50 overs.

Boult (3/37) was the pick of the bowlers for New Zealand. Tim Southee (2/65) got two scalps while Matt Henry and Mitchell Santner got one each. In the chase of 227, NZ was reduced to 55/3, with Finn Allen going for a duck and openers Devon Conway (14) and Will Young (33) falling quickly after a 49-run stand. After a 56-run partnership between Daryl Mitchell (57 in 52 balls, with six fours and a six) and skipper Tom Latham (19), NZ lost their seven wickets for just 36 runs, bundling out for 147 in 26.5 overs. Reece Topley (3/27) and David Willey (3/34) were the pick of the bowlers for England. Moeen got two while Atkinson got one.

Livingstone took home the ‘Player of the Match’ award.