Gaikwad, Conway, Choudhary star in new-old CSK

The Chennai Super Kings (CSK) defeated the Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) in the forty-sixth game of the 2022 Indian Premier League (IPL). The match was played in the Maharashtra Cricket Association Stadium in Pune. Ruturaj Gaikwad was adjudged to be the Man of the Match.

Slow and steady wins race

The score of 40 for 0 at the end of the powerplay was typical of the Super Kings. They prefer their top-of-the-order batters to take their time and strike later. Devon Conway, on the other hand, was particularly slow in doing so; thus, Ruturaj Gaikwad had to be more firm. Kane Williamson bowled three of Marco Jansen's overs inside the powerplay for 19 runs, after witnessing his meltdown at the death in their previous match.

Sundar sustains another injury

It's possible that the split webbing is the same one that Washington Sundar damaged while attempting to rescue a boundary. Kane Williamson had a tough call to slot in the fifth bowler because he hadn't even started bowling yet.

Gaikwad and Conway let free

Aiden Markram, with his part-time offspin, was named as Sundar's successor. They let him bowl the first over, but Gaikwad began to attack from the eighth over forward. Umran Malik was first up, and his pace and hard lengths in the middle overs have given the Sunrisers an advantage in this IPL. When Gaikwad is in, however, he enjoys the fast pace. He was properly in at 28 off 23 at the start of the eighth over.

Gaikwad took 13 off the eighth over by going over cover first and then over long-on. In his second over, Conway gave Markram the same treatment, ultimately getting past a run a ball.

Malik's fastest ball of the competition, bowled at 154 kilometers per hour, bounced back just as quickly off Gaikwad's bat and went between the stumps and the non-striker. For a four, a bounce took the top edge. Markram's third was hit for two sixes off Gaikwad's bat, but Williamson couldn't do much about it. The off-drive off Malik for a six over long-off was the icing on the cake. In 12 overs, the Super Kings had gone 117 for 0.

Last-over blues for Jansen

With a boundary-free 13th over, Bhuvneshwar Kumar drew things back a touch, Shashank Singh followed it up without incident to complete the fifth bowler's quota, and Williamson returned to Jansen for the 15th. Perhaps the intention was to keep him out of the death overs, but he didn't bowl a particularly good over. If his earlier over cost Sunrisers 25, this one just cost them 20 and brought up Conway's fifty in the process.

In his 90s, Gaikwad began to slow down, and he fell for 99, attempting to place a short and wide ball rather than striking it forcefully. Bhuvneshwar Kumar (4-0-22-0) and Malik (who gave up only eight runs in the 19th) slowed things down in the last five overs, but 202 was always going to be a tall order for the Sunrisers.

When luck runs out, it's game over

The Sunrisers had no choice but to attack with a vengeance. Williamson got a free shot that he blasted for a six, Abhishek Sharma grabbed three boundaries from edges, was dropped once, and 46 came in the first three overs.

Mukesh Choudhary returned with the ball after dropping a sitter, his third drop this IPL out of five catches, to have Sharma caught at long-on and Rahul Tripathi blasting a short ball straight to short third man. Despite the fact that 58 came off it, the Super Kings won the powerplay.

Tangle of spins

Williamson went into anchor mode now, hoping that the batters on the other end would get them closer before he struck out again. They were slowed down by Maheesh Theekshana's unpredictability and Ravindra Jadeja's precision. Markram's two sixes were followed by a short ball pushed straight to deep midwicket when he tried to hit out against Mitchell Santner.

Final act

Williamson and Nicholas Pooran were left to play blinders, but today was not the day for blinders. They had given themselves too much work - 101 runs in the last eight overs - and despite a switch hit for a six and the occasional boundary, they needed 78 runs from the last six overs, which is still doable. Dwaine Pretorius, on the other hand, benefited from all of the pressure as Williamson attempted to ramp a ball but became trapped directly in front of the stumps. After that, Choudhary signed off with the wickets of Shashank Singh and Sundar, leaving them with 50 to get off the final two.

Pooran put up a valiant effort, reaching a 29-ball fifty, but he was overworked. It was always going to be difficult to get 50 from the last two, even with Pooran's spectacular batting. That was proven to be the case.