Ruturaj Gaikwad, Faf du Plessis
A 129-run opening stand between Ruturaj Gaikwad and Faf du Plessis helped Chennai Super Kings (CSK) beat SunRisers Hyderabad (SRH) by seven wickets in an Indian Premier League contest at the Arun Jaitley Stadium here on Wednesday.
Gaikwad made 75 off 44 balls (12x4) while du Plessis scored 56 off 38 balls (6x4, 1x6) as CSK chased down 171/3 put up by SRH with nine balls to spare.
SRH struggled to get wickets, as their pace trio of Sandeep Sharma, Khaleel Ahmed and Siddarth Kaul couldn't get any assistance from the placid pitch.
The three conceded 92 runs in 11.3 overs as the CSK openers made merry.
Leg-spinner Rashid Khan took 3/36 in his four overs but he was far from miserly on a pitch that helped strokeplay.
CSK raced to 50 without loss in the powerplay stage.
Both Gaikwad and du Plessis have had successful opening partnerships in the past few matches. They added 115 in the game against Kolkata Knight Riders, 74 against the Royal Challengers Bangalore and 129 against SRH on Wednesday.
By the time both were dismissed by Rashid, CSK were already on course for a win.
Earlier, Kane Williamson's 10-ball 26 at the back-end of the SRH innings helped his side score 58 runs in the last five overs to reach a fighting total of 171/3 in 20 overs.
Williamson arrived at the crease with SRH needing a fillip as CSK's fielding and tight bowling had restricted the Hyderabad franchise.
After opener Jonny Bairstow was dismissed early, skipper David Warner and No. 3 Manish Pandey added 106 runs for the second wicket in 13.5 overs. While there was no loss of wicket, Warner struggled to get his shots going and couldn't increase the run rate. He fell for a 55-ball 57, which included two sixes and three fours.
Pandey, who was included in the side after being benched in the previous game, looked more fluent as he hammered his way to a 46-ball 61 (5x4, 1x6).
However, it was Williamson who turned it on for SRH. The New Zealand captain, who walked in to bat at No. 4, took 19 runs (20 overall) off Shardul Thakur's final over, the innings' 19th.
Williamson hit one six and four fours during his innings, while Kedar Jadhav chipped in with 12 off four balls.
For CSK, Lungi Ngidi took 2/35 while Sam Curran scalped 1/30.
Brief scores: SunRisers Hyderabad 171/3 in 20 overs (M Pandey 61, D Warner 57, K Williamson 26 not out, L Ngidi 2/35, S Curran 1/30) vs Chennai Super Kings 173/3 in 18.3 overs (R Gaikwad 75, F du Plessis 56, R Khan 3/36).
