IPL 2021, Match 44: SRH vs CSK, Stats Review: Faf du Plessis, Ruturaj Gaikwad continue to shine as CSK advance to playoffs

And Chennai Super Kings continue their winning run! They just can’t do anything wrong this season. Can they? Sunrisers Hyderabad are the latest to go down against the three-time champions. It was indeed another comprehensive victory for CSK as the Orange Army was on the back foot throughout the contest.  After bundling SRH for 134-7, MS Dhoni’s men comfortably won the contest by six wickets.

With this win, CSK also qualify for the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2021 playoffs officially. At the same time, SRH were knocked out of the final four contention. Speaking of the proceedings of the contest, CSK won the toss and opted to bowl at the Sharjah Cricket Stadium. The 2016 champions couldn’t embrace the challenge and lost wickets at regular intervals.

While opener Wriddhiman Saha scored a gritty 44, no other SRH batter could reach the 20-run mark. As a result, the Kane Williamson-led side posted 134/7 in their allotted 20 overs. In reply, CSK got off to a stellar start with openers Faf du Plessis and Ruturaj Gaikwad continuing their fine run.

The duo added 75 runs for the first wicket and decided the fate of the encounter. Although the fall of wickets added some spice in the contest, a nostalgic six from MS Dhoni meant CSK crossed the line in 19.4 overs.

Meanwhile, here are the important stats and numbers from the SRH vs CSK clash in IPL 2021:

1 – CSK became the first team to officially qualify for IPL 2021 playoffs. SRH became the first team to get knocked out.

11 – CSK have now qualified for the playoffs 11 times in the 12 seasons they participated.

2015 – SRH won’t reach the playoffs for the very first time since 2015.

611 – Ruturaj Gaikwad now has scored 611 runs in his first 17 IPL innings, most for an Indian batter and sixth-most overall.

100 – MS Dhoni becomes the first wicket-keeper to complete 100 catches for an IPL franchise.

3 – Faf du Plessis became the third player to score 2,500 IPL runs for CSK. MS Dhoni and Suresh Raina are the others in the elite list.

2 – This is the second instance of Faf du Plessis scoring over 400 runs in an IPL season. In the 2020 edition, the Proteas dasher slammed 449 runs.

17 – Du Plessis has now smashed 17 sixes in IPL 2021, joint-second most for any batter so far. While Sanju Samson has also cleared the fence as many times, KL Rahul (18) tops the list.

134 – Sunrisers Hyderabad recorded their lowest IPL total against Chennai Super Kings, 134/7. The previous lowest was 139/7 in 2018.

2 – SRH became the third IPL franchise against whom Dwayne Bravo has taken 20 or more wickets. Punjab Kings and Mumbai Indians are the other two.

599 – Faf du Plessis and Ruturaj Gaikwad have now added 599 partnership runs in IPL 2021, most by a pair. Shikhar Dhawan-Prithvi Shaw hold the second place, having added 550 runs.

6 – Gaikwad and Du Plessis also recorded their sixth half-century stand this season, most for any pair.

3/24 – Josh Hazlewood recorded his best figures in the Indian Premier League (IPL), 3/24.

24 – MS Dhoni remained not out for the 24th time in successful IPL run chases, joint-most for any player alongside Ravindra Jadeja.