There was no end to MS Dhoni and Chennai Super Kings' woes as former India captain yet again struggled to take his side past the finish line, falling short by seven runs against Sunrisers Hyderabad in Match 14 of Indian Premier league at Dubai International cricket stadium on Friday.
SRH's top guns not contributing much, former India U-19 World Cup skipper Garg scored his maiden IPL fifty and with Abhishek raised a 77-run stand for the fifth wicket. SRH collected 53 runs in the last four overs to make it a contest.
Playing a record 194th IPL game, the stage was set for Dhoni to silence his critics but all he could manage was 47 runs off 36 balls as CSK fell short.
It was Jadeja who took CSK closer to the target before getting out while Dhoni struggled in their 72-run stand for the fifth wicket.
Except for a few hits, Dhoni struggled to time the ball. He also lost steam towards the end, having batted in hot conditions for over an hour. He hit Khaleel Ahmed for a massive six in the 19th over, which had to be completed by him because Bhuvneshwar Kumar hurt his leg after bowling just one ball.
Check KKR vs DC playing 11 and head to head stats here CSK needed 28 runs from the final over and skipper David Warner handed the ball to 18-year-old J and K spinner Abdul Samad. It was a gamble which paid off. Samad started with a wide that yielded CSK a boundary but held his nerves to see his side through.
SRH spinners, specially Rashid Khan deserve the credit for the win. The Afghan was, as usual exceptional, as he choked CSK with his well-measured deliveries. He did not get a wicket but conceded only 12 runs his four overs.
It was third defeat in a row for CSK in four matches, one of the worst starts for the three-time champions.
Not only a quick start eluded CSK, they lost three quick wickets -- Faf Du Plessis (22), Shane Watson (1) and Amabati Rayudu (8). The Indian pace trio of SRH -- Bhuvneshwar, T Natarajan and Khaleel -- kept the rivals under pressure.
Bhuvneshwar sent back Watson (1) while Natarajan spoilt the comeback of Rayudu (8). Garg after a splendid knock, effected Du Plessis run out.
Afghanistan's Rashid Khan choked the runs with ever-reliable leg-spin while Jammu and Kahsmir's Abdul Samad got rid of Kedar Jadhav (3).
CSK needed 96 runs from the last six overs and some quick runs upfront would have helped them.
After struggling in their initial matches, CSK brought Ambati Rayudu, Dwayne Bravo and Shardul Tahakur for Friday's game.
That CSK came into the match rejuvenated following a one-week break was evident with the way Deepak Chahar (2/31) troubled the SRH batsmen with his swinging deliveries. Sam Curran too showed control.
Chahar was rewarded for his effort when he deceived Jonny Bairstow (0) with an in-swing ball that uprooted his stumps.
IPL 2020: CSK vs SRH scorecard
CSK vs SRH playing 11: Sunrisers Hyderabad has made no change its playing 11 while CSK has made three changes, bringing in Ambati Rayudu, Dwayne Bravo and Shardul Thakur in place of Murali Vijay, Josh Hazlewood and Ruturaj Gaikwad.
Playing 11 of both the teams: CSK playing 11: Shane Watson, Ambati Rayudu, Faf du Plessis, Kedar Jadhav, MS Dhoni(w/c), Dwayne Bravo, Ravindra Jadeja, Sam Curran, Shardul Thakur, Piyush Chawla, Deepak Chahar.
SRH playing 11: David Warner(c), Jonny Bairstow(w), Manish Pandey, Kane Williamson, Abdul Samad, Abhishek Sharma, Priyam Garg, Rashid Khan, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, K Khaleel Ahmed, T Natarajan
 "IPL 2020, CSK vs SRH highlights: Hyderabad beats Chennai by 7 runs")
