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IPL 2018 Highlights: Chennai Super Kings vs Sunrisers Hyderabad: Faf du Plessis carries CSK to final

Chennai Super Kings restrict Sunrisers Hyderabad to 139 for seven in the IPL Qualifier 1 and then chase it down in 19.1 overs for a two wicket win

Chennai Super Kings rode on a brilliant fifty by Faf du Plessis to beat Sunrisers Hyderabad by two wickets to enter the IPL final for a seventh time

Mumbai, May 22: Only one man seemed to have a heart ticking in normal rate inside of a cauldron like Wankhede Stadium - Faf du Plessis. Came in as opener, Faf saw Chennai Super Kings wickets falling around him like candyfloss flying away in storm.

The South Africa captain made a composed unbeaten 67 off 42 balls that contained five fours and four sixes to take Super Kings to 140/8 in 19.1 overs, to a two-wicket win over Sunrisers Hyderabad and to their seventh IPL final here on Tuesday (May 22). Meanwhile, Sunrisers will play the Qualifier 2 on Friday at Kolkata against the winners of Eliminator match between Kolkata Knight Riders and Rajasthan Royals on Wednesday (May 23).

IPL PAGE | SCOREBOARD | SCHEDULE | TEAM CARD: CSK | KEY BATTLES

Chasing 140 on a rather sluggish wicket, Super Kings got off to a miserable start losing Shane Watson in the first over and then Siddharth Kaul dismissed Suresh Raina and Ambati Rayudu in successive balls as Super Kings found themselves in a hole at 24 for three.

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Leg-spinner Rashid Khan, who had a wonderful outing (4-0-11-2), deceived Super Kings skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni with a googly to castle him. At 39 for 4, the match appeared all but lost for them as there was no one to stay in the middle and finish the game for them. Or so it seemed.

Let's go a bit deep.

Over 18: Chennai Super Kings needed 43 runs from 18 balls at the beginning of this over with three wickets in hand.

Surprisingly, Kane Williamson handed the ball to Carlos Brathwaite, who had earlier made a 43 off 29 balls to take Sunrisers to a handy 139 for seven, but the move backfired. Du Plessis carted the big West Indian for 4, 6, 4, 4 to extract 20 runs from the over. In that flurry of runs, the run out of Harbhajan Singh looked a mere accident.

Over 19: Super Kings needed 23 runs off 12 balls with two wickets to spare at the beginning of this over.

An unlikely hero emerged. Shardul Thakur, who was taken to cleaners by Brathwaite in the last over of Sunrisers' innings, made amends for his largesse hammering Siddharth Kaul for three boundaries in that over and Super Kings amassed 17 runs from the 19th over. Thakur made 15 of that 17 runs.

The first two fours had the assistance of fortune as both came of edges but the third boundary was a clean strike over the bowler's head. Talk about villain turning into hero in a matter of a few minutes.

Over 19.1: Super Kings required to score six runs needed off six balls to win the match with two wickets remaining.

Time for some last minute drama? There was a good reason to think on those lines as Bhuvneshwar Kumar, one of the best death bowlers, was entrusted with the task of bowling the final over. But Du Plessis had enough of drama and smashed Bhuvneshwar's length ball on the off-stump straight over the bowler' head for a six to end the game. Soon Du Plessis submerged in a yellow sea.

Du Plessis will forever be remembered as the man of the night. But some credit should also go to the Super Kings bowlers. Dhoni kept Watson and Harbhajan away from bowling duties on the night and used precisely five bowlers to deliver the 20 overs.

Each of them, barring an expensive final over by Thakur, produced a stellar effort as they read the pitch's slow nature and adapted quickly. The Super Kings bowlers did not go for a full length this night and instead opted for a back of the length line that did not allow any room for Sunrisers batsmen.

Skipper Williamson (24 off 15 balls with four boundaries) and Yusuf Pathan threatened briefly to raise a big score. Williamson fell in his attempt to pull Thakur, giving a catch down the leg side to Dhoni, and Pathan was jettisoned by Bravo, who took an excellent return catch while diving forward.

The Sunrisers middle-order was a worry throughout this IPL, primarily because of the underwhelming efforts of Manish Pandey, and here too they caved in after the exit of Williamson against some tight bowling.

Brathwaite infused some meat into Hyderabad's total but in the end it was only capable to stretch the Super Kings.

Story first published: Tuesday, May 22, 2018, 23:56 [IST]
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