Hyderabad, April 18 (NationPress) In a thrilling encounter, Sri Lankan fast bowler Eshan Malinga excelled with three wickets, leading Sunrisers Hyderabad to a narrow victory over the five-time champions Chennai Super Kings (CSK), restricting them to just 184 runs for 8 wickets in their 20 overs. This triumph marked SRH's third win in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026, concluding the match with a 10-run margin at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium in Hyderabad on Saturday.

Earlier on, openers Abhishek Sharma and Heinrich Klaasen both achieved half-centuries, propelling SRH to a total of 194 runs for 9 wickets despite a spirited comeback from the CSK bowlers.

In pursuit of a challenging target, CSK started strong, scoring 15 runs in the first over. However, they faced an early blow when Sanju Samson was dismissed for just seven runs in the second over by Nitish Kumar Reddy.

Despite the setback, Ayush Mhatre responded with aggression, scoring 24 runs in the third over. His promising innings was cut short due to a hamstring injury, ending his knock at 30 runs off 13 balls.

SRH tightened their hold on the match as Malinga claimed the wicket of CSK captain Ruturaj Gaikwad for 19 runs. Following this, Sarfaraz Khan and Matthew Short managed to stabilize the innings with a partnership of 46 runs, bringing CSK to 111 runs for 3 wickets by the halfway point.

This partnership was disrupted in the 11th over when Malinga dismissed Sarfaraz for 25 runs. Soon after, Shivam Kumar took out Dewald Brevis for a duck.

As the pressure mounted, Short found it difficult to accelerate and was dismissed for 34 runs off 30 balls, giving Malinga his third wicket. Shivam Dube attempted to revive the innings but fell to Sakib Hussain, bowled for 21 runs.

Despite late efforts from Jamie Overton and Anshul Kamboj, CSK couldn’t chase the remaining 18 runs in the final over, finishing at 184 runs for 8 wickets. Malinga was the standout bowler, achieving figures of 3 wickets for 29 runs, while Nitish Kumar Reddy contributed with two wickets, sealing a 10-run victory for SRH.

SRH commenced their innings cautiously before picking up pace during the power play. Abhishek Sharma and Travis Head maintained a strong presence, frequently hitting boundaries. Abhishek’s explosive performance in the fifth over, where he scored 25 runs off Matthew Short, propelled SRH to 63 runs without loss after five overs.

CSK responded promptly as Mukesh Choudhary dismissed Head for 23 runs, followed by Ishan Kishan who fell for a duck on the very next ball, leaving SRH at 75 runs for 2 wickets post powerplay. Abhishek’s innings concluded in the eighth over when Jamie Overton managed to induce an edge caught by Sanju Samson. He made a quickfire 59 runs off 22 balls, which included six fours and four sixes.

SRH lost another wicket in the 11th over, yet Klaasen and Nitish Kumar Reddy forged a quick 35-run partnership to stabilize the innings. Reddy scored 12 runs before being dismissed, while Klaasen pressed on, reaching his fifty in just 32 balls.

Klaasen was eventually dismissed by Anshul Kamboj for 59 runs off 39 balls. Late contributions, including 12 runs off 8 balls from Shivam Kumar, helped SRH accumulate 194 runs, although they fell short of the 200 mark.

For CSK, both Overton and Kamboj took three wickets each, while Mukesh Choudhary added one to his tally.

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) defeated Chennai Super Kings 184/8 in 20 overs (Matthew Short 34, Ayush Mhatre 30, Sarfaraz Khan 25; Eshan Malinga 3-29, Nitish Reddy 2-31) by 10 runs.