IPL 2026: SRH beat CSK at Chepauk to reach playoffs
What's the story
Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) beat Chennai Super Kings (CSK) at MA Chidambaram Stadium to reach the IPL 2026 playoffs. The Super Kings first racked up 180/7 on a sticky surface, with Kartik Sharma and Dewald Brevis. Skipper Ruturaj Gaikwad's sluggish knock was under the scanner. In response, SRH rode on stellar knocks from Ishan Kishan and Heinrich Klaasen. They won in the 19th over.
Chase
How the chase started
Mukesh Choudhary and Spencer Johnson kept the dangerous SRH openers at bay. While Choudhary dismissed Travis Head, Abhishek Sharma fell to Akeal Hosein. However, Ishan and Klaasen steadied the ship. They turned the tide with a 75-run stand (41 balls). In the 15th over, Noor Ahmad finally gave CSK a crucial breakthrough in Klaasen. The latter was stumped by Sanju Samson for 47 (26).
Win
Ishan gets SRH home
Despite losing a well-set Klaasen and later Nitish Kumar Reddy, Ishan handled the pressure well. With due support from Salil Arora, the left-hander added the finishing touch. He hammered Mukesh Choudhary for successive sixes. By the time Ishan fell to Anshul Kamboj, the job was done. The former smashed a 47-ball 70, a knock laced with 7 fours and 3 sixes.
Numbers
Ishan's fifth half-century of IPL 2026
According to ESPNcricinfo, Ishan raced to his 22nd half-century in the IPL. Five of them have come in IPL 2026, his most in a season. In 132 IPL games, the Indian batter has 3,488 runs at an average of 30.06. His strike rate goes past 140 (142.30). Ishan currently has 490 runs from 13 games at a strike rate of nearly 179.48 this season.
CSK innings
CSK cope with blows in Powerplay
After opting to bat first, CSK's openers Samson and Gaikwad started well. However, their 31-run partnership was cut short by Pat Cummins, who dismissed Samson for 27 runs in the third over. Sakib Hussain then removed Urvil Patel after he looked threatening. While Gaikwad only rotated the strike, Kartik Sharma smashed a fine 19-ball 32 to up the ante.
Dismissals
CSK reach 180 despite losing wickets
Cummins struck again in the 10th over, this time dismissing Kartik. This was soon followed by that of Gaikwad, who looked rusty during his 21-ball 15. CSK were four down for just 100 runs on the board in 11.3 overs. Dewald Brevis (44 off 27 balls) and Shivam Dube (26 off 23 balls) added pivotal runs to power the Super Kings to 180/7.
Numbers
Cummins completes 200 T20 wickets
Cummins claimed 3/28 across four overs against CSK. This spell took his IPL 2026 tally to eight wickets from six games at a fine economy of 8.15, as per ESPNcricinfo. Cummins also completed 200 T20 wickets with his third. He has now raced to 200 scalps from 177 games at 27.21. His economy is a decent 8.22, as the tally includes three four-wicket hauls.
Milestone
Klaasen reaches 2,000 IPL runs
Klaasen's 26-ball 47 was studded with 6 fours and 2 sixes. He once again showed his class and power against spinners. With his 12th, the Proteas batter completed 2,000 runs in the IPL. In 62 matches (58 innings), he has raced to 2,035 runs at an average of 42.39. His strike rate in the league (165.71) is among the best.
Playoffs
SRH, GT reach playoffs
SRH's win not only took them to the playoffs but also booked the second-placed Gujarat Titans' berth for the same. Table toppers Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) were the first side to reach the playoffs. Five teams are still in contention for the fourth spot, with Mumbai Indians (MI) and Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) being eliminated.