The Chennai Super Kings extended their winning run in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2021 to five with a seven-wicket win over the Sunrisers Hyderabad at Delhi’s Arun Jaitley Stadium on Wednesday. 

A second hundred-run stand between openers Ruturaj Gaikwad (75) and Faf du Plessis (56*) made short work of the under-par 171-run total David Warner and co laboured to after winning the toss and electing to bat. 

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The 24-year-old Gaikwad’s stock continued to rise after he notched his second fifty of the season, with his partnership with du Plessis – who claimed the Orange Cap with his third IPL 2021 fifty – at the top of the order one of the key factors behind CSK’s transformation this year.

Gaikwad scored a dozen boundaries, with the Protea scoring six fours and a six to set CSK cruising towards a comprehensive victory. 

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Rashid Khan led a resurgance with three quick wickets, dismissing Gaikwad, du Plessis and Moeen Ali, but it was too little, too late for the 2016 champions with the damage already done by the opening pair. 

Earlier, a late flourish from Kane Williamson (26* from 10) and Kedhar Jadhav (12* from 4) ensured the Sunrisers got to a respectable total. Warner (57) and Manish Pandey (61) notched respective fifties, but struggled to break the shackles, taking up too many deliveries to get going. 

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Sam Curran got an early breakthrough, dismissing Jonny Bairstow (7), with Warner and Pandey scoring 106 runs in 83 deliveries before Lungi Ngidi dismissed both batsmen in quick succession. Williamson and Jadhav then scored 37 run in 13 deliveries to ensure SRH finish with 171 runs on the board.