As is the case during qualifying before a Formula One race when drivers push the hardest in their final lap to improve grid position, India’s T20 World Cup hopefuls are giving it their all in IPL 2024 with the selection meeting around the corner. After a match-winning effort by Sanju Samson the previous day, it was Ruturaj Gaikwad’s turn to play a captain’s knock as he powered Chennai Super Kings to a 78-run victory against Sunrisers Hyderabad on Sunday.

Gaikwad missed out on a second successive century (98 off 54b), but along with Daryl Mitchell (52 off 32b) and Shivam Dube (39* off 20b), another player in the reckoning for a World Cup spot, he took CSK to a formidable 213/3 after being asked to bat first at Chepauk. Sunrisers were pegged back early by a three-wicket burst from Tushar Deshpande (4/27) and were bowled out for 134 in 18.5 overs.

With four victories in their first six games, CSK were on a roll before consecutive defeats against Lucknow Super Giants put them in a spot of bother. Their latest success has put them back in a promising position with SRH also a contender for the playoffs despite successive losses.

Ajinkya Rahane fell for another low score at the top of the order but Gaikwad and Mitchell went on to add a 107-run partnership for the second wicket. Mitchell, who was picked for ₹14 crore by CSK, hadn’t found his best earlier in the season, but the New Zealand batter struck form after a slow start with some typically powerful shots down the ground.

Gaikwad, however, was the one who set the pace with sparkling strokeplay. The 27-year-old making it to the World Cup squad remains a long shot, but he’s doing his reputation no harm by leading the way for the five-time champions. He hit 10 fours and three sixes and was dismissed in the final over.

The visitors did reasonably well to pull things back in the middle but CSK got the push they needed thanks to another belligerent knock by Dube. The left-hander showed his incredible six-hitting prowess by going after Pat Cummins and T Natarajan before the CSK faithful got their money’s worth with a cameo by MS Dhoni (5* off 2).

Travis Head and Abhishek Sharma, the most devastating opening pair this season, were expected to provide another strong start but it was Deshpande who stole the show with the new ball. The right-arm pacer was hit for a couple of sixes by Head but fought back by removing the Australian left-hander and Anmolpreet Singh off consecutive deliveries. He followed that up by getting rid of Abhishek in his next over to put CSK firmly on top.

For SRH to resurrect their chase, a lot depended on Aiden Markram (32 off 26) and Heinrich Klaasen (20 off 21), but the South African duo couldn’t get going and the result was never in doubt. While Deshpande returned with his best figures in IPL, Matheesha Pathirana (2/17) and Mustafizur Rahman (2/19) were the other key contributors with the ball.

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