Defending a target of 181, the Chennai Super Kings began well with the ball, restricting Sunrisers Hyderabad to just 45 runs in the powerplay. However, the momentum shifted in the middle overs as Ishan Kishan and Heinrich Klaasen stitched together a 75-run partnership off just 41 deliveries, putting the visitors in complete control of the chase. SRH eventually chased down the target with an over to spare.
Criticising CSK’s bowling approach, Mohit Sharma pointed out that the bowlers failed to read the conditions and adjust their lengths accordingly, unlike the SRH attack, which effectively used slower deliveries throughout the innings. He noted that nearly 60–65 percent of SRH’s balls were variations, which proved decisive on the slow Chepauk pitch.
Speaking on the strategy, Mohit said CSK bowlers did not stick to a clear plan and over-relied on yorkers instead of bowling hard lengths and cutters suited to the surface. He added that bowlers like Mukesh Choudhary and Anshul Kamboj, despite their ability to use variations, did not execute according to the conditions, which allowed SRH batters to dominate.
The CSK pace duo conceded 82 runs in their combined eight overs, though they managed to pick up three wickets between them. Notably, Anshul Kamboj endured another expensive outing following his previous spell against Lucknow Super Giants, where he conceded 63 runs in just 2.4 overs.
