IPL 2018 Final, CSK vs SRH: Hits and Misses

It was a comeback season for the Chennai Super Kings and they have now completed a fairytale comeback. Up against Sunrisers Hyderabad in the big final, the MS Dhoni-led side was the better team as they clinched their 3rd IPL title.

MS Dhoni won the toss and had no hesitation to bowl first. CSK began really well as they conceded just 17 runs in the first four overs. However, Shikhar Dhawan and Kane Williamson slowly shifted gears before the former was cleaned up by Ravindra Jadeja. Williamson was also dismissed a few overs later for a well-made 47.

Shakib Al Hasan, Yusuf Pathan and Carlos Braithwaite all contributed with good solid cameos as SRH got to 178 in their 20 overs. CSK managed to do well at the back end as they conceded just two boundaries in the last couple of overs. Lungi Ngidi was the standout bowler as he had figures of 1/26 in his 4 overs.

Chasing a competitive and a stiff score, CSK were off to a slow start as Bhuvneshwar Kumar (who bowled 10 consecutive dot balls at the start) and Sandeep Sharma were superb upfront. Despite a 15-run over, CSK could manage only 35 in the powerplay with the loss of Faf du Plessis.

Watson who had taken 11 deliveries to get off the mark turned on the heat in the middle overs. He struck a wonderful century as he made the target of 179 seem quite easy at the end. Suresh Raina contributed with a good 32.

CSK got to the target in the 19th over as they ended a wonderful season with an IPL triumph.

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#5 Miss: Dwayne Bravo

Dwayne Bravo was CSK's most expensive bowler in the final.

Dwayne Bravo started the IPL with a bang as he played a match-winning innings taking CSK home from a very tough position. After that, he hasn’t got a lot of opportunities with the bat. However, what’s been disappointing is his performance with the ball. He’s been quite expensive and hasn’t looked at his best as he’s had an economy of nearly 10 this season.

He did have a decent game in the first Qualifier where he took 2/25 but was expensive once again in the final. Bravo was introduced into the attack in the 8th over and conceded 11 runs in each of his first two overs. He bowled a decent 3rd over where he gave where he gave 8 runs and picked up the wicket of Shakib Al Hasan.

However, he leaked 16 runs in his final over (18th over of the innings). He gave away 46 runs in his 4 overs as he was CSK’s most expensive bowler.

#4 Hit: Lungi Ngidi

Lungi Ngidi gave away just 26 runs in his 4 overs and also picked up a wicket.

Lungi Ngidi has been very good for CSK. He’s bowled with great pace and control in whatever he’s played in this season. He didn’t play a lot at the start of the season, but he’s become a key part of the CSK set-up as the tournament has gone along.

After a couple of excellent games in the last two games, he was once again very good in the big final. He gave 8 runs in his first over and then bowled a brilliant maiden in his second. He then came back at the death and finished well. He gave away just 2 runs in 5 deliveries in his final over before getting hit for a six off his last ball.

The South African pacer ended with very good figures of 1/26 in his 4 overs and he was the best CSK bowler in this game.

#3 Miss: Siddarth Kaul

Siddarth Kaul was the most expensive bowler in today's final.

Siddarth Kaul has been very good for SRH this season. He’s taken good responsibility and has picked wickets regularly. His exploits in the IPL has also earned him a spot in India’s limited-overs squad that will tour England in July. However, in the last few games, despite picking up wickets, he’s been a touch expensive.

In this game, he was poor. He had figures of 0/43 in three overs. After the new-ball bowlers (Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Sandeep Sharma) gave SRH a good start, Kaul’s over was the release point for CSK as Shane Watson and Suresh Raina plundered a six and a couple of boundaries (scoring 16 runs) to get going and gain some momentum. He once again conceded 16 runs in his second over before conceding 11 in his final over.

It was a disappointing day for the 28-year-old pacer as he leaked 43 runs in his three overs.

#2 Hit: Yusuf Pathan

Yusuf Pathan was very good in the big final.

Yusuf Pathan was an interesting choice when SRH picked him up at the auctions. But he did play a couple of crucial cameos and had contributed in small ways scoring 10s and 20s in the death overs. But there was nothing that caught the eye.

However, on the big stage, the Yusuf stepped up as he hit a fine 25-ball 45 to take SRH to 179 in their 20 overs. He walked out to bat in the 13th over when Kane Williamson was dismissed. And as soon as he walked out to the middle, he struck the ball well and was looking really good.

The 35-year-old Baroda all-rounder hit 4 fours and 2 sixes in his 25-ball knock and he gave SRH the momentum in the middle-overs. His innings played a crucial role in SRH getting to a very competitive total.

#1 Hit: Shane Watson

After playing out 10 dot balls upfront, Shane Watson struck a magnificent 57-ball 117.

Shane Watson was not quite in the best of forms in the last couple of games. But he was going through an excellent season where he had amassed more than 400 runs.

Chasing 179, CSK were off to a slow start. Shane Watson played 10 dot balls before he got off the mark. He just couldn’t find the middle of the bat. But he hung in there as he bided his time at the crease. But once he started middling the ball there was no stopping.

The six he got off Sandeep Sharma in the 6th over got him going and he reached his half-century in 33 deliveries as he took complete charge of the run-chase, dominating the middle-overs. And then came Sandeep’s final over (13th over of the chase) where he more or less killed the chase. He struck 2 fours and 3 sixes (all back-to-back) as he fetched 27 off that over to reduce the equation to 48 of the last 7 overs.

The former Aussie all-rounder continued to strike the ball well as he notched up his 2nd ton of the season. He finished with an unbeaten 117 in 57 balls as he struck 11 fours and 8 sixes. His knock helped CSK chase down 179 with ease in the end and took them to their 3rd IPL title.