IPL 2021 Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) vs Chennai Super Kings (CSK): Live Updates from Sharjah

IPL 2021 SRH vs CSK Live: Welcome to our live coverage of Match 44 of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2021 where Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) will face Chennai Super Kings (CSK) at the Sharjah Cricket Score in Sharjah. 

A jubilant Chennai side will look to seal playoffs berth as it takes on struggling Hyderabad in Sharjah. The MS Dhoni-led side is coming on the back of a hat-trick of wins and has virtually sealed a top-four finish, having registered eight wins from 10 matches.

LIVE UPDATES

Chennai beat Hyderabad by six wickets in Sharjah, seal playoffs berth!

A trademark Dhoni finish! The CSK skipper finishes with a six, helping Chennai defeat Hyderabad by six wickets in Sharjah. Gaikwad, du Plessis laid the foundation before Moeen, Raina and Dhoni added final touches. Chennai qualify for the play-offs, and Hyderabad are officially knocked out of the ongoing edition. 

22:40 IST: WICKET! Holder strikes again. Removes a well-set du Plessis (41) to dent Chennai's run-chase. Skipper Dhoni joins Rayudu, with 27 needed off 25 deliveries. 

22:37 IST: WICKET! A twist in the tale? Holder traps Raina with a yorker to make things difficult for Chennai. Brilliant set-up by Holder. A short ball and then a yorker to Raina plumb in front. 

22:31 IST: WICKET! Rashid strikes to remove Moeen for 17. It's perhaps too late as Chennai need just 32 runs to win the contest. Raina joins du Plessis in the middle. 

22:23 IST: Chennai 103/1 after 14 overs. The Yellow Army looks solid in the run-chase as they inch closer to the victory, becoming the first team to qualify for playoffs this season. The three-time IPL champions had finished seventh last season. What a turnaround!

22:09 IST: WICKET! Gaikwad falls short of his fifty as Holder draws first blood. Gaikwad tries to loft it over mid-off but picks out Williamson. He departs after scripting an opening stand milestone with du Plessis. The pair now leads the list in most partnership runs for CSK in a single IPL season. They have added 591 runs so far in the 2021 edition.  

21:51 IST: Chennai 47/0 after 6 overs. Gaikwad was given LBW off Rashid's delivery that struck on his back thigh. However, UltraEdge shows a small spike, giving the batter a revival. 

21:42 IST: Gaikwad, du Plessis make a steady start in the Powerplay. Chennai reach 36/0 after the first over. Both the openers are also in the Orange Cap race. 

21:09 IST: Chennai need 135 runs to win the contest and seal playoffs spot

A clinical bowling display has helped Chennai restrict Hyderabad to 134/7 in 20 overs. Saha notched up 44 off 46 deliveries but found no support. Abhishek (18) and Samad (18) contributed with some runs towards the end, followed by a late flourish from Rashid (17*). On the bowling front, Hazlewood registered 3/24 -- his best IPL bowling figures -- while Bravo picked up two. Shardul and Jadeja also added a wicket each to their name. 

20:53 IST: WICKET! Abhishek and Samad walk back in the same over! Hazlewood records 3/24 -- his best IPL figures -- in his four overs as Hyderabad sink further. The scoreboard reads 111/6 after 17 overs. 

20:45 IST: Hyderabad 102/4 after 16 overs. Abhishek (11*) and Samad (17*) are in the middle and will look for some late fireworks. 

20:29 IST: WICKET! Saha's valiant knock finally comes to an end. He departs for 44. Top-edge again and Dhoni calls for it before completing an easy catch. Samad is the new man in.

20:21 IST: WICKET! Garg departs for 7. He tries to pull Bravo but a top-edge balloons the ball in the air. Dhoni darts and pouches it safely. 

20:18 IST: Hyderabad 63/2 at the halfway mark. They suffered an early blow in the form of Roy (2) and also lost Williamson (11) after the Powerplay. But with Saha in the middle, Hyderabad will look to finish with a competitive total. A must-win contest for Williamson's men. 

20:09 IST: Saha gets a lifeline! He is caught at backward point by Gaikwad but up goes the no-ball buzzer and the umpire signals for a free hit. Garg has joined Saha after Williamson's departure. 

20:00 IST: WICKET! A major blow for Hyderabad just after Powerplay. Bravo strikes in his first over to remove Williamson, The skipper is plumb off a 129kph delivery. An easy decision for the umpire. 

19:57 IST: Hyderabad 41/1 after 6 overs. Roy's early departure hasn't bothered Hyderabad so far, with Saha (24*) and Williamson (11*) looking steady in the Powerplay. 

19:44 IST: WICKET! Roy falls for 2, nicking Hazlewood's delivery to Dhoni. Saha, at the other end, has been timing it nicely so far. Skipper Williamson joins Saha in the middle. 

19:38 IST: Saha and Roy open for Hyderabad. In the previous game against Rajasthan, Roy had hit 60 off 42, helping Hyderabad notch 57 in the Powerplay. Saha had also contributed with 18 off 11 deliveries. 

19:00 IST: Toss Update - Chennai win toss, opt to bowl against Hyderabad in Sharjah. CSK are just one win away from sealing the playoffs berth, Hyderabad, on the other hand, will be mathematically out of the tournament if they lose this game.

No changes in the Hyderabad camp while Chennai bring in Bravo in place of Curran. 

Dhoni: We'll bowl first because of the smaller dimensions and looks like a fresh wicket. When you keep playing here, it tends to slow down. It may not be as slow as the other wickets today. Bravo comes back for Sam.

Chennai Super Kings (Playing XI): Ruturaj Gaikwad, Faf du Plessis, Moeen Ali, Ambati Rayudu, Suresh Raina, MS Dhoni(w/c), Ravindra Jadeja, Dwayne Bravo, Shardul Thakur, Deepak Chahar, Josh Hazlewood

Williamson: Looks a little bit better than some of the others. We have to assess the conditions as quickly as possible. We are going in with the same side. The guys are looking forward to it.

Chennai Super Kings (Playing XI): Ruturaj Gaikwad, Faf du Plessis, Moeen Ali, Ambati Rayudu, Suresh Raina, MS Dhoni(w/c), Ravindra Jadeja, Dwayne Bravo, Shardul Thakur, Deepak Chahar, Josh Hazlewood

18:50 IST: Head to Head record - Matches played 16; CSK won 12; SRH won 4

18:35 IST: Matthew Hayden on the pitch: "Tough for the bowlers tonight. Powerplay for both teams is going to be absolutely key, so watch out for the big guns up top of both these batting line-ups." 

18:16 IST:  Chennai in their last five matches: 4 Wins; 1 Defeat

• SRH vs CSK - CSK won by 7 wickets
• MI vs CSK - CSK lost by 4 wickets
• CSK vs MI - CSK won by 20 runs
• CSK vs RCB - CSK won by 6 wickets
• CSK vs KKR - CSK won by 2 wickets

The Hyderabad camp, on the other hand, is languishing at the bottom of the points table with just four points in 10 games so far. In their previous game against Rajasthan Royals (RR), skipper Kane Williamson hit a composed fifty while newly-added opener Jason Roy notched up 60 off 42 deliveries to help Hyderabad register a morale-boosting win. They will now look to win all their remaining four matches and also pray that the other results go in their favour. [SRH vs CSK Dream11 Predicted Playing 11, Fantasy Tips, Pitch Report]

IPL 2021 SRH vs CSK Preview: Virtually out of the play-off race, bottom-placed Sunrisers Hyderabad will hope to keep their new-found momentum intact when they face table-toppers Chennai Super Kings in the IPL on Thursday. Kane Williamson led from the front with an unbeaten half-century to help Hyderabad return to winning ways after five losses on the trot. It lifted the morale of the side as they have suffered eight losses from 10 matches. 

Kane Williamson led from the front with an unbeaten half-century to help Hyderabad return to winning ways after five losses on the trot. It lifted the morale of the side as they have suffered eight losses from 10 matches. The biggest decision for Williamson-led think tank has been to drop their big-hitting opener David Warner, who aggregated just 181 runs at an average of 24.37. [FULL PREVIEW]