Chennai Super Kings (CSK) kept their ipl 2026 Playoff hopes remain alive with energetic start against Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) At MA Chidambaram Stadium, Chennai. In a vital encounter for the five-time champions, the home side made an early breakthrough thanks to a brilliant effort from the pace bowler. Mukesh ChaudharyWho dismissed the dangerous SRH opener travis head With a quick catch-and-bowled out.
After posting a competitive 180/7 in the first innings, CSK needed quick wickets to put pressure on Hyderabad’s explosive batting lineup. Mukesh answered the call in style and sent the Chepauk crowd into celebration with a brilliant reflex catch of his own ball.
Mukesh Chaudhary creates magical moment against Travis Head
The dismissal came amid an aggressive effort from Travis Head, who never looked fully settled at the crease. Mukesh bowled a short and fast ball around the off-stump channel, which gave the Australian batsmen extra pace. Head attempted to pull the ball away but lost his balance and timing in the process. The ball took the bottom edge of the bat and bounced back towards the bowler. Mukesh reacted quickly and completed a sharp return catch to give CSK a dream start to chase the target.
The wicket immediately made the atmosphere inside Chepauk happy and the crowd started cheering loudly. Head, known for his disastrous starts in T20 cricket, withdrew after failing to make an impact, putting SRH under early pressure. The wicket was particularly important given the situation of the match. With CSK needing a win to stay in the race for the IPL 2026 playoffs, the early dismissal of one of SRH’s most dangerous batsmen gave the hosts a huge boost.
Here is the video:
Impact Player assignment explained to perfection! 💯
Mukesh Chaudhary got the big wicket of Travis Head
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– IndianPremierLeague (@IPL) 18 May 2026
Also read: IPL 2026: Ruturaj Gaikwad explains why MS Dhoni is not playing CSK’s last match in Chepauk
Dewald Brevis shines with the bat for Chennai
Earlier in the evening, Chennai Super Kings scored 180/7 after the captain opted to bat first Ruturaj GaikwadWho won the toss and decided to set the target. CSK did not have a good start sanju samson Scored 27 runs while captain Gaikwad could score only 15 runs. Urvil Patel also failed to convert his starts and was out after scoring 13 runs, increasing the pressure on the middle order.
However, the young batsman Karthik Sharma Played a useful inning of 32 runs and made important partnerships to stabilize the innings. The biggest contribution came dewald brevisWho played an entertaining inning of 44 runs and kept the scoreboard running in the middle overs. all-rounder Shivam Dubey He also scored 26 runs, helping Chennai reach the fighting total on a surface that favored the bowlers at times.
For Sunrisers Hyderabad, Captain pat cummins Led from the front with the ball and prevented CSK from crossing the 200-run mark by taking three wickets.