IPL 2018, Qualifier 1, SRH vs CSK: 5 talking points
Chennai Super Kings grabbed victory from the jaws of defeat against Sunrisers Hyderabad in the Qualifier 1 of the 2018 IPL at the Wankhede on Tuesday to make their way into the final which will be played on Sunday.
CSK looked to have made a meal of chasing down a target of 140 runs after yet another impressive showing from the SRH bowling line-up before Faf du Plessis single-handedly led his side to victory by two wickets with an unbeaten knock of 67 from just 42 balls.
Here are the five major talking points from tonight's match:
#5 CSK's clinical bowling strangles SRH
Chennai Super Kings have their batsmen to thank for their march into the playoff stage of the 2018 IPL with the likes of Ambati Rayudu, Shane Watson, Suresh Raina and MS Dhoni all scoring in excess of 400 runs during the league phase of the competition.
In contrast, the bowling has been a worry for CSK, with the ever-dependable Dwayne Bravo's struggles during the season, the major cause of concern.
However, tonight at the Wankhede, the CSK bowlers were exceptional with their line and length, pitching very few balls in the driving zone.
They stuck to their plan of bowling consistently short of a length, not allowing the SRH batsmen to free their arms. Shikhar Dhawan's first-ball dismissal was a result of this very plan and the CSK bowling line-up maintained it that way all the way up to the final over before Carlos Brathwaite got stuck into Shardul Thakur.