Sunrisers Hyderabad finally won a crucial match, defeating CSK. Despite losing some wickets in the middle, Nitish Kumar Reddy and Kamindu Mendis successfully chased the target of 155. With this victory, the 2016 IPL champions stay alive in the competition. SRH must win all their remaining matches to qualify mathematically for the playoffs.
Although they have a mountain to climb, needing to win 5 out of their next 5 matches, RCB achieved this feat last year. Nitish found inspiration from them and spoke about replicating their heroics in the post-match interview. He admitted the win was vital for them and said they would look to build momentum from it.
NKR believed that if RCB could do the unthinkable, they could too. He said the team would give 100% in every match and try to pull off a miracle. Their next match is against the in-form Gujarat Titans on May 2nd. Speaking about the match, CSK’s young stars Ayush Mhatre and Dewald Brevis batted with good intent.
Thanks to their innings of 30 and 42 runs respectively, the Chennai Super Kings set a target of 155. Although Abhishek Sharma got out early, Ishan Kishan stepped up and scored 44 runs off just 34 balls. At one point, SRH looked in trouble, but Reddy and Mendis chased down the target in the 19th over to secure their third win of the season.
SRH coach Vettori praises all-rounder Kamindu Mendis after CSK match
One player who impressed in SRH’s win over CSK was Mendis. The Sri Lankan all-rounder took the important wicket of Ravindra Jadeja and scored 32 runs off just 22 balls, hitting 3 fours at a crucial stage. Hyderabad coach Daniel Vettori was full of praise for him.
The legendary left-arm spinner said in the post-match show that Mendis’ ambidextrous bowling style is very underrated. Vettori also praised his control over pace while bowling with both hands. He admitted that Mendis’ inclusion made the team even more balanced.
“I think I probably didn’t quite appreciate how good his bowling was with both arms. His ability to go back and forward and control his pace is a real skill. So, at least to give us one option to take it away (from the batters), it just balanced our team perfectly.”
- Daniel Vettori on Kamindu Mendis
Despite scoring 32 runs and taking Jadeja’s wicket, the most impressive thing Mendis did was make a brilliant catch. Just when it looked like Brevis was about to open his arms in Harshal Patel’s over, the Lankan all-rounder pulled off a blinder to dismiss him. Needless to say, he will be crucial for SRH in their upcoming matches.
