IPL 2018 Qualifier 1 - SRH v/s CSK: Faf du Plessis' heroic knock guides Chennai Super Kings to final

This was classic Chennai Super Kings (CSK). Look down and out throughout a run chase, give the opposition a false sense of ‘job well done’, and then, somehow, find someone to turn the game upside down.

Think Dwayne Bravo against Mumbai Indians in their first game, or Sam Billings in the following tie against Kolkata Knight Riders, or Mahendra Singh Dhoni against Royal Challengers Bangalore. New game, new hero.

On Tuesday, it was the turn of Faf du Plessis to wear that tag, almost single-handely taking CSK into the final with a two-wicket win over an inspired Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) bowling attack in the Qualifier 1 at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai.

In a 140-run chase where six of this team-mates had single-digit figures, the Proteas skipper played a very Dhoni-like innings, being watchful for a large part of his innings before opening up and sailing the ship through. Ironically, it was Dhoni’s dismissal that all but ended the CSK fans’ hopes in the stadium. 

The Yellow Brigade found itself in a precarious position at 24/3 in the chase, when Dhoni walked out to a loud roar. He was ready to wait and watch, getting off the mark in only the ninth ball of his innings. But SRH captain Kane Williamson was in no wait-and-watch mood, bringing out his trump card to counter CSK’s: Rashid Khan.

Leggie, leggie, googly and boom. Three balls was all it took for Khan to find a giant-sized gap in Dhoni’s defence, get through it and find the stumps. The CSK innings, before and after that Dhoni dismissal, just had wickets falling in a heap.

SRH responded early to their shoddy batting show with the ball, Bhuvneshwar Kumar getting Shane Watson to edge to the wicket-keeper in the first over. Siddarth Kaul then got into the act straightaway, sending Suresh Raina’s leg stump and Ambati Rayudu’s off stump flying with back-to-back full and swinging deliveries.

Khan backed up the Dhoni wicket by also scalping Dwayne Bravo, while Ravindra Jadeja and Deepak Chahar did precious little as CSK were staring down the barrel at 92/7 in the 15th over. Du Plessis, who in all this commotion was a mere spectator and also survived an LBW decision after successfully reviewing it, suddenly came to life after just rotating the strike and hitting the odd boundary until then.

With 43 needed off the last three, the Proteas skipper smacked three fours and a six off Brathwaite’s over, collecting 20 runs and bringing up his fifty in the process. Shardul Thakur started the 19th over with a couple of lucky fours but ended it with a solid four behind Kaul’s head to bring the equation down to six off the last over. Du Plessis sealed the deal off the first ball itself, lifting his arms aloft as a host of CSK players came running out to embrace him.

Ironically, the person’s over that took the game away from SRH was responsible in getting them to a respectable total: Brathwaite. SRH had the worst possible start after losing the toss, Shikhar Dhawan chopping a short ball from Deepak Chahar back on to his stumps.

Williamson, the wrecker-in-chief for SRH, was looking good for his 13th 25-plus score in 15 innings this IPL. But Thakur got the priced scalp with a harmless delivery, banging  one short outside the leg stump, which the Kiwi skipper went to pull. But all he got was a glove, and all Dhoni had to do was run to his left to collect the catch.

Shakib Al Hasan got out the same way to Dwayne Bravo a couple of overs later, except that Dhoni had to dive to his right this time. Manish Pandey gifted a soft dismissal to Ravindra Jadeja as SRH lost half their side in the 12th over for 69 runs.

SRH needed something special from thereon and it came in the form of Brathwaite, who waited for the right time and bowler to pounce on. That moment came in the 18th and 20th overs bowled by Thakur, Brathwaite smacking him for four sixes and a four to ensure SRH had a fighting total to defend. But as is the mostly the case with CSK, it wasn’t enough.