IPL 2021, SRH vs CSK: Chennai seals playoff berth with a 6-wicket win, records scripted

It was yet another satisfying performance from former champion Chennai Super Kings (CSK), as it nailed fellow former champion SunRisers Hyderabad (SRH) by six wickets in the 2021 Indian Premier League (IPL) at the Sharjah Cricket Stadium on Thursday. While SRH has been knocked out of the playoffs race, CSK has sealed its place in the process. Consequently, we look at some of the records scripted.

Gaikwad-du Plessis score the most
CSK opener Ruturaj Gaikwad and Faf du Plessis contributed to a 75-run stand. As a result, it has become the most successful opening pair of the side in any season, scoring more than 590 runs, going past Michael Hussey-Suresh Raina (587 in 2013).

CSK scripts its best against SRH
With this win, CSK now has a win percentage of 75 against SRH, which is its best in the tournament traditionally. Overall, it is the second-best, with Mumbai Indians (MI) leading with 75.86 against Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR).

MS Dhoni joins a select list
Dhoni remained unbeaten in this successful run chase, which was his 24th instance in the IPL. It is the joint-most, along with his CSK teammate Ravindra Jadeja, in a successful run chase.

Match summary
Winning the toss and inviting SRH to bat, the side was restricted to 134/7 despite Wriddhiman Saha's impressive 44, while pacer Josh Hazlewood claimed three. In reply, CSK chased it down with ease, thanks to a good show by the openers (Ruturaj Gaikwad and Faf du Plessis), winning by six wickets and sealing its playoffs berth, while SRH was knocked out.
Brief scores: SRH 134/7 (Saha-44; Hazlewood- 3/24) lost to CSK 139/4 in 19.4 overs (Gaikwad- 45, du Plessis- 41; Holder- 3/27) by six wickets.