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Sunrisers Hyderabad qualified for the 8th time in the IPL playoffs after they defeated Chennai Super Kings by 5 wickets at the Chepauk on May 18. With the ball, it was the captain, Pat Cummins, who rattled the CSK batting despite a mid-relief from Dewald Brevis and Kartik Sharma. And then with the bat, Ishan Kishan anchors the chase, as Salil Arora finishes the chase with Smaran hitting the six, having 6 balls left in the game.

The Chepauk crowd indeed played as a twelfth man. Every dot was cheered, and every save was hooted. And the pressure was proven when Ishan shooed them away after winning the match. Nevertheless, it is SRH that is in the top 3, while CSK is mathematically alive in the IPL chase.

Chennai Super Kings posted 180/7 from 20 overs after a mixed batting display featuring aggressive cameos and a late slowdown. Sanju Samson set the early tone with 27 off 13 balls, striking five fours and a six before Pat Cummins removed him. Urvil Patel added 13 from eight deliveries, while Kartik Sharma injected momentum through a 32-run knock off 19 balls that included three boundaries and two sixes.

Ruturaj Gaikwad struggled for fluency, managing 15 off 21 balls without a boundary. The innings gained shape through Dewald Brevis, who top-scored with 44 from 27 balls, hitting two fours and four sixes. Shivam Dube contributed 26 off 23, while Prashant Veer chipped in with 11. Nine extras also boosted the total. Cummins led the bowling effort with 3/28, while Sakib Hussain claimed two wickets.

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The chase revolved around a strong middle-order partnership after early setbacks. Travis Head departed for six, while Abhishek Sharma made 26 off 21. Ishan Kishan anchored the innings with 70 off 47 balls, finding seven fours and three sixes while bringing up his half-century in 37 deliveries.

Heinrich Klaasen matched the tempo with 47 off 26, striking six fours and two sixes before falling to a sharp stumping off Noor Ahmad. Their 50-run stand came in just 28 balls and shifted momentum decisively. Nitish Kumar Reddy scored 11, while Salil Arora and Ravichandran Smaran stayed unbeaten to finish proceedings. Mukesh Choudhary picked up two wickets, while Akeal Hosein, Anshul Kamboj and Noor Ahmad took one each.