Mumbai: South African Faf du Plessis (67 n o, 42b, 5×4, 4×6) who had played only four games prior to Qualifier-1 came to the party with a brilliant knock to take Chennai Super Kings (CSK) to the final of IPL-XI at the Wankhede Stadium here Tuesday.
It was all the more sweet for CSK as they had returned to the IPL fold after a ban of two years and Du Plessis along with Shardul Thakur (15 n o, 5b, 3×4) ensured that the team remain in title-contention with a two-wicket victory against Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) in a game where fortunes swung like a pendulum.
In the 18 th over all looked lost for CSK. They needed 53 to overhaul SRH’s 139 for seven which was built mainly around Carlos Brathwaite’s (43, 29b, 1×4, 4×6). However, bowler Brathwaite went for 20 in the over and CSK were right back in the game.
Two edges and a straight drive four of Siddharth Kaul (2/32) by Thakur brought the equation down to six off six and Du Plessis completed the job with a straight screamer off Bhuvneshwar Kumar (1/14).
But then the efforts of Kaul, Rashid Khan (2/11) and Sandeep Sharma (2/30) should not be forgotten as it was their efforts that took the game to last over of the match. Khan was against outstanding, the googly that rattled MS Dhoni’s stumps being a peach of a delivery.
Earlier Brathwaite brought into focus his six-hitting capabilities once again to help SRH post a fighting total. SRH had slipped to 50 for four and 98 for six including the wicket of their skipper Kane Williamson (24). However, Brathwaite gave the innings some momentum with lusty hitting that took his team past the 130-run mark.
Dwayne Bravo (2/25), Ravindra Jadeja (1/13) and Lungi Ngidi (1/20) were the pick of the CSK bowlers.