Chennai, May 18 (IANS) Wicketkeeper-batter Ishan Kishan played a brilliant knock of 70 while Heinrich Klaasen scored 47 as Sunrisers Hyderabad defeated Chennai Super Kings (CSK) by five wickets and qualified for the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 playoffs at the M.A. Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai on Monday.

Chasing a target of 181, SRH completed the chase in 19 overs to register an important victory. With this win, Sunrisers Hyderabad joined Gujarat Titans and Royal Challengers Bengaluru in securing a place in the IPL 2026 playoffs with 16 points from 13 matches.

SRH started their chase positively with Abhishek Sharma attacking Mukesh Choudhary early in the innings. However, Chennai Super Kings struck back in the third over when Mukesh dismissed Travis Head with a slower delivery. Head managed just six runs from six balls.

After the early wicket, CSK bowlers maintained tight lines and did not allow SRH batters to score freely. Abhishek Sharma and Ishan Kishan took time to settle but kept the scoreboard moving with regular boundaries. SRH reached 45/1 at the end of the Power-play.

CSK finally broke the partnership in the eighth over when Akeal Hosein dismissed Abhishek Sharma for 26 runs off 21 balls. His innings included three fours and a six.

Following the wicket, Ishan Kishan shifted gears and anchored the innings, while Heinrich Klaasen played aggressively from the other end. Klaasen attacked both Akeal Hosein and Noor Ahmad, hitting boundaries and sixes regularly as SRH reached 75/2 in 10 overs. Klaasen survived a dropped catch and continued his attacking approach before eventually getting dismissed for 47 runs in the 15th over. The South African batter struck six fours and two sixes during his innings.

Meanwhile, Kishan completed his half-century in 37 balls and continued to rotate strike smartly along with Nitish Kumar Reddy. The pair kept SRH firmly in control of the chase.

Mukesh Choudhary dismissed Nitish Kumar Reddy in the 18th over, but Kishan remained calm and guided the side closer to victory. He scored 70 runs off 47 balls, hitting four boundaries and three sixes.

Smaran Ravichandran finished the chase with a boundary as Sunrisers Hyderabad reached the target with six balls to spare and officially sealed their place in the IPL 2026 playoffs.

Earlier, Dewald Brevis top-scored with 44 as Chennai Super Kings posted 180/7 in their 20 overs.

Coming to bat after winning the toss, CSK made a flying start with Sanju Samson attacking from the very first ball. He smashed Nitish Kumar Reddy for a six and added two boundaries in the opening over. Samson continued his aggressive batting in the next over by hitting Praful Hinge for three consecutive fours as CSK raced ahead during the powerplay.

Sunrisers Hyderabad captain Pat Cummins gave his team the first breakthrough by dismissing Samson for a quick 27 off 13 balls. Young batter Urvil Patel kept the momentum going with two sixes off Cummins, but Sakib Husain clean bowled him for 13 runs.

After the early wickets, Ruturaj Gaikwad and Kartik Sharma steadied the innings. Kartik looked in excellent touch and played several attacking shots, including two fours and two sixes in his innings of 32 off 19 balls. Cummins once again broke the partnership by dismissing Kartik in the 10th over.

Gaikwad struggled to score freely and was eventually dismissed for 15 runs, with Cummins claiming his third wicket and also completing 200 T20 wickets in the process.

Shivam Dube and Dewald Brevis then rebuilt the innings with an important partnership. Brevis played aggressively and took charge in the middle overs, while Dube supported him well. Brevis scored 44 off 27 balls, hitting four sixes and two boundaries before being dismissed by Eshan Malinga in the 18th over. Dube also departed soon after for 26. Prashant Veer added some late runs as CSK finished at 180/7.

For SRH, Pat Cummins starred with figures of 3/28, while Sakib Husain and Praful Hinge picked up two wickets each. Eshan Malinga claimed one wicket.

Brief scores:

Chennai Super Kings 180/7 in 20 overs (Dewald Brevis 44, Sanju Samson 27, Shivam Dube 26; Pat Cummins 3-28, Sakib Hussain 2-34) lost to Sunrisers Hyderabad 181/5 in 19 overs (Ishan Kishan 70, Heinrich Klassen 47; Mukesh Choudhary 2-36, Akeal Hosein 1-21) by five wickets.

–IANS

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