Coming out of a partial eclipse of the much-hyped Karnataka poll, the Indian Premier league is again the cynosure of all eyes as was seen in the first play-off which proved to be real cliffhanger wherein the points tally topper Sunrisers Hyderabad bowed down to second-placed Chennai Super Kings in Mumbai on May 22.
All the kudos for this thrilling win goes to the South African skipper Faf du Plessis, who came into his elements at the right time to smash 67 runs off just 42 deliveries and helped his team reach the final for
seventh time. Faf sparkled when the likes of the in-form Watson, Rayudu, Suresh Raina and MS Dhoni were back into the dugout with their team tottering at 66 for 6 at one stage. The game turned on its head in the last three overs as Faf showed his class and rose like a phoenix from the ashes to chase down the though-modest-yet-insurmountable-looking target of 139.
Thanks to the new rules, the SRH are still in the race keeping their fans' hopes alive. They will take on the winner of the qualifier 2. KKR with Chris lynn, Andre Russel, Sunil Narine and Dinesh Karthik are up against Ajinkya Rahane's Rajasthan Royals on its home turf Kolkata. SRH would keenly await the outcome to fancy its chances for the final.