IPL 2018, Match 46: Chennai Super Kings beat Sunrisers Hyderabad

Opener Ambati Raydu smashed his maiden century in the Indian Premier League (IPL) as Chennai Super Kings coasted to an easy eight-wicket win over Sunrisers Hyderabad to virtually seal a play-offs berth at the MCA Stadium in Pune. The positions in the table are unchanged, but it gives Chennai enough confidence in their next match against Delhi Daredevils.

Opening batsman Shikhar Dhawan and captain Kane Williamson continued their top form this season as the two batsmen struck fluent half-centuries to take Sunrisers to 179 for 4 after being sent in to bat.

Even experienced players Dhawan and Williamson found it difficult to score off Chahar. At the halfway stage, the Sunrisers were 62 for 1 and with wickets in hand they shifted gears in the second half of their innings to add 115 runs in the last 10 overs.

Dhawan and Williamson continued from what they had left in their last match in Delhi as the duo yet again scored the bulk of Sunrisers runs with a 123-run stand for the second wicket.

Dhawan was out in the last ball of the 16th over, bowled by Bravo and Williamson got dismissed in the first ball of the next over bowled by Shardul Thakur.

Rayudu and Watson gave scant respect to the Sunrisers bowlers, touted as the best in this IPL, as they were rarely troubled by the bowling attack which had the likes of India pacer Bhuvneshwar Kumar and highly-rated Afghan leg-spinner Rashid Khan.

CSK made a flier of a run chase, scoring 53 for no loss in the powerplay overs with Rayudu hitting Bhuvneshwar for two sixes during that period and Watson doing the dame to Sandeep Sharma (1/36). The Aussie scored his 17th half century as well.

Rayudu, who has been in great touch this season, remained not out on exactly 100 which he made from 62 balls with the help of seven fours and seven sixes as CSK chased down the target of 180 with one over to spare.