Abhishek, Klaasen Blitz Powers SRH to 194 Despite CSK Bowling Fightback

After being put in to bat, SRH got off to a steady start before accelerating quickly. Abhishek Sharma and Travis Head looked in good touch, taking their time initially before attacking in the power-play with a flurry of boundaries.

Abhishek turned up the heat in the fifth over, smashing Matthew Short for 25 runs with a mix of crisp fours and towering sixes, helping SRH race to 63/0 in five overs.

However, CSK hit back strongly in the sixth over. Mukesh Choudhary dismissed Head for 23, and on the very next ball, SRH captain Ishan Kishan fell for a duck, leaving the hosts at 75/2 at the end of the power-play.

Abhishek's explosive innings ended soon after in the eighth over when Jamie Overton forced an edge, which was safely taken by Sanju Samson behind the stumps. Abhishek scored a brilliant 59 off just 22 balls, hitting six fours and four sixes.

SRH lost another wicket in the 11th over when Aniket Verma was dismissed by Overton. With wickets falling, Klaasen and Nitish Kumar Reddy steadied the innings with a quick 35-run stand off 22 balls. Reddy made 12 before being caught off Overton in the 14th over.

Klaasen then took charge, playing attacking shots and keeping the scoreboard moving. He reached his third fifty of the season in 32 balls. His innings ended in the 18th over when Anshul Kamboj bowled him for 59 off 39 balls, an innings that included six fours and two sixes.

Late contributions from Shivam Kumar (12 off 8) helped SRH push towards 200, but regular wickets in the final overs prevented them from crossing the mark. Liam Livingstone, who came in as an impact player, failed to make an impact.

For CSK, Overton and Kamboj were the standout bowlers with three wickets each, while Mukesh Choudhary picked up one.

Brief scores:

Sunrisers Hyderabad 194/9 in 20 overs (Abhishek Sharma 59, Heinrich Klaasen 59; Anshul Kamboj 3-22, Jamie Overton 3-37, Mukesh Choudhary 2-21) against CSK

- IANS