'Captain changed, result changed' - Ruturaj Gaikwad and Devon Conway lead CSK to their third win of IPL 2022

Chennai Super Kings (CSK) returned to winning ways under their old skipper MS Dhoni as they defeated Sunrisers Hyderabad by 13 runs in the 46th match of the Indian Premier League (IPL). Ruturaj Gaikwad was the star batter for the four-time champions as he finally found his class this season. He was unlucky to miss out on his well-deserved century but his 99-run knock and Devon Conway’s sizzling 85* on comeback made sure that CSK posted a total of above 200 and then defended it comfortably to win their third game of the season.

Earlier, it was all about Ruturaj and Conway after SRH skipper Kane Williamson won the toss and opted to bowl first in Pune. The duo started off cautiously before taking the attack to the opposition. The former oozed class with every passing over on the day as he smacked the SRH bowlers to all parts of the stadium. His front-foot shot off Umran Malik that went for the six was the highlight of Ruturaj’s innings. At the other end, Conway also marked a successful comeback playing his first game under Dhoni’s captaincy.

CSK’s opening duo shattered records to stitch the fourth highest opening partnership in IPL history. They added 182 runs for the opening wicket but SRH made a good effort in the death overs to not give away poor deliveries. However, CSK had done enough already to cross the 200-run mark to end on 202 runs for the loss of two wickets in their 20 overs.

Mukesh Choudhary picks four wickets

The target of 203 runs was always going to be tough for SRH to chase down. However, Abhishek Sharma got the team off to a blazing start with a quickfire 39 off 24 deliveries as SRH scored 58 runs in the powerplay. But Mukesh Choudhary dismissed Abhishek Sharma and Rahul Tripathi off consecutive deliveries and from here on, SRH kept losing wickets at regular intervals. Aiden Markram, like always, looked good early on only to lose his wicket while trying for a big shot.

Nicholas Pooran came out and played his shots while Kane Williamson held one end to keep SRH in the hunt. But the latter missed a straight delivery from Dwaine Pretorius to get out with more than 70 runs still needed to win. Nevertheless, the SRH skipper scored 47 runs. They were always behind in the chase and even though Pooran kept hitting big shots, there was not much contribution from the other end.

However, the Caribbean southpaw did well to take his team close smashing 24 runs in the final over off Mukesh Choudhary who ended with a brilliant four-wicket haul. SRH eventually ended at 189 runs for the loss of six wickets in their 20 overs and lost the game by 13 runs. Pooran remained unbeaten on 64 off 33 balls with three fours and six sixes.

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