Chennai Super Kings batsman Shane Watson in action
Chennai Super Kings' warhorse all-rounder Shane Watson scored his second century in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2018, fourth overall in the history of the tournament, to lead his team's charge in the final match at the Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai, on Sunday.
The 36-year-old batsman reached the triple figure in 51 balls, smashing seven boundaries and eight sixes.
Reinstated into the IPL after a two-year ban for their team management's role in the 2013 spot-fixing scandal, CSK outplayed SRH by eight wickets with Watson's unbeaten 117 off 57 balls in a high-pressure game being the icing on the cake.
The Australian smashed as many as 11 fours and eight sixes enroute to this second hundred of the season as CSK raced home in 18.3 overs. SRH had posted a challenging 178 for six courtesy Kane Willamson (47 off 36) and Yusuf Pathan (45* off 25).
Earlier, Kane Williamson missed out on yet another fifty in a highly successful season as SRH piled up a challenging total of 178 for 6. Williamson led his side from the front once again to notch up 47 in 36 balls, hitting two sixes and five fours before Yusuf Pathan scored a breezy unbeaten 45, inclusive of four fours and two sixes in 25 balls, to take the team close to 180.
Carlos Brathwaite (21 in 11) came up with the much needed big hits towards the end.
SRH had scored 139 for 7 when the two teams had met earlier at this ground in Qualifier 1 on May 22.
Super Kings kept a tight rein on the Sunrisers Hyderabad batsmen initially while also taking a wicket through a run-out. The first four overs saw only one boundary being hit a turn to fine leg for four by Dhawan off Lungi Ngidi.
Super Kings also struck an early blow when Shreevats Goswami was run out. The fall of the early wicket and a maiden over bowled to Sunrisers captain Kane Williamson by Ngidi kept the score down to 17 for 1 in four.
Deepak Chahar, who was bowling well till then, dug in one short to Williamson in the fifth over who smacked it for a six over long leg and then was pulled for a four by the New Zealander.
And when Shardul Thakur too erred in length, he was hoisted over long on by Dhawan for a maximum, taking SRH to 42 for 1 by the end of Powerplay.
Williamson, by now into the groove, drove and scooped Dwayne Bravo for a four and a six in the bowler's first over, and the 8th overall, to increase the run-rate further.
The second wicket partnership reached the 50-mark when it was snapped by Ravindra Jadeja who bowled Dhawan when the left-handed opener missed a heave on the 25th ball he faced.
The run-rate dropped a bit after his departure and at the half-way mark Sunrisers were 73 for 2.
The promoted Shakib Al Hasan hit the accurate Jadeja for a six and a four to the mid-wicket region after Williamson's leading edge ran away to the boundary so that 17 runs were taken off the left-arm spinner in the 11th over to boost the run rate.
Williamson struck Bravo for consecutive fours in the 12th over and was well in sight of his 9th 50 of the season when Dhoni brought back Sharma who lured him out with a wide ball and got him stumped him off the first ball of a new spell.
The Sunrisers captain, by far his side's major run-getter who also became the third highest scorer in one IPL season, went back after striking two sixes and five fours to leave his side at 101 for 3.
Pathan started in aggressive fashion and put on a useful stand of 32 with Shakib before the latter drove Bravo straight to Raina at extra cover and was caught.
It was later left to Pathan and big-hitting West Indian Brathwaite to give the total a big boost in the death overs as they added 34 runs in the last three overs.
(With PTI inputs)
