 "SRH beat CSK by 5 wickets to keep their playoff hopes alive. Image: AFP")
Sunrisers Hyderabad finally broke their Chepauk curse on Friday, defeating Chennai Super Kings for the first time at their home ground in a five-wicket win. The defeat all but ended CSK’s playoff hopes in IPL 2025 . Harshal Patel’s brilliant 4/28 was the highlight of the match.
Harshal Patel on special win
Speaking after being named Player of the Match, Harshal Patel said everything finally clicked for SRH. “We’ve been trying to do that for the last few games but some pieces were missing. For all of it to come together when we need to win every match is pretty special.”
Harshal explained his bowling plans, saying he kept it simple on a tough surface. “I figured out pretty early that hitting a good length around the stumps was important. It was hard to play horizontal shots. The Dhoni wicket was just one of those variations that worked.”
Cummins happy to fix SRH’s Chepauk record
SRH captain Pat Cummins also praised the team’s effort, calling the win clinical. “Few things came together tonight. Boys played really well. Our record against CSK isn’t great, so it’s good to fix that. We wish we finished that more comfortably, but overall, happy with that win.”
Chennai captain MS Dhoni, playing his 400th T20 match, admitted the team didn’t put enough runs on the board. “We kept losing wickets. The wicket wasn’t too bad. We were 15-20 runs short. You can’t keep going with the same XI when most players aren’t performing. That’s just not enough in this tournament.”
Dhoni praised Dewald Brevis for his 42-run knock but admitted CSK’s middle-overs game needed work. “Brevis batted really well. But when spinners come in, you either play with batsmanship or pick your areas. That’s where we’re struggling.”
With this win, SRH moved to eighth place, keeping slim playoff hopes alive. For CSK, this was their seventh loss in nine games, and unless a miracle unfolds, the five-time champions look set to miss the playoffs this season.