Former champions Chennai Super Kings (CSK) and Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) will fight it out for the Indian Premier League 2018 (IPL 2018) title in the final on Sunday. While CSK won the Qualifier 1 to make it to the final, SRH had to take part in Qualifier 2 to book a place in the summit clash. SRH defeated Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) to confirm their place in the IPL 2018 final. Both SRH and CSK have been in good form and finished on first and second place respectively after the league stage.
This will be the tenth time these two teams take on each other. CSK enjoys a dominant head-to-head lead with seven wins out of nine matches. Earlier, SRH and CSK met thrice in the league stage, so this will be the fourth meeting between these two teams this season. Here’s a quick recap of what happened in those previous three matches:
First match: SRH vs CSK at Rajiv Gandhi Intl. Cricket Stadium, Hyderabad on April 22
In the first match this season between the two teams, CSK prevailed by four runs in a closely fought contest. While chasing 183, Sunrisers managed only 178 for six and thus lost the match in front of the home crowd. SRH vs CSK Scorecard
Second match: CSK vs SRH at Maharashtra Cricket Association Stadium, Pune on May 13
After losing the home game, SRH were looking to make amends in their away match against CSK. However, MS Dhoni-led side continued their dominance over SRH and defeated them by eight wickets. Ambati Rayudu smashed his maiden IPL century as CSK chased down 180 with an over to spare. CSK vs SRH Scorecard
Third match: SRH vs CSK at Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai on May 22
After finishing on top of the points table, SRH and CSK were pitted against each other in the Qualifier 1. Like previous two meetings, CSK, once again, stole the show. The match turned out to be a thrilling contest with CSK winning the contest by just two wickets. Chasing moderate target of 140, CSK kept losing wickets. However, Faf du Plessis’ unbeaten 67 made sure CSK complete their hat-trick of wins over SRH this season and secure a place in the final. SRH vs CSK Scorecard
Having won previous three matches, CSK definitely comes into the IPL 2018 final with a better frame of mind. Also, when it comes to Wankhede Stadium SRH have won just one out of five matches at the venue. So, the Kane Williamson-led side will be under pressure as they face CSK in the big-ticket final. Meanwhile, CSK will be looking for their third IPL title while SRH will have eyes set on second championship.
(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on May 26, 2018 02:51 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).