CSK won toss, opted to bat first in last home game of IPL 2026
Super Kings posted 180-run total on sluggish pitch
SRH chased down target in 19 overs to secure playoff spot
SunRisers Hyderabad (SRH) sealed their playoffs berth after Ishan Kishan anchored them to a topsy-turvy five-wicket win over Chennai Super Kings (CSK) in match 63 of Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 at Chepauk on Monday (May 18).
ALSO READ: CSK Vs SRH Highlights
Hyderabad's win also ensured Gujarat Titans a place in the four-team playoffs. Defending champions and league leaders Royal Challengers Bengaluru were already through, meaning only one berth remained to be filled in the next stage.
Five-time champions Chennai meanwhile are on the verge of elimination, needing to beat Gujarat in their last league match on Thursday and several other results to go in their favour.
IPL 2026 Points Table After Match 63
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | L | NR | Pts | NRR |
| 1 | Royal Challengers Bengaluru (Q) | 13 | 9 | 4 | 0 | 18 | 1.065 |
| 2 | Gujarat Titans (Q) | 13 | 8 | 5 | 0 | 16 | 0.4 |
| 3 | SunRisers Hyderabad (Q) | 13 | 8 | 5 | 0 | 16 | 0.35 |
| 4 | Punjab Kings | 13 | 6 | 6 | 1 | 13 | 0.227 |
| 5 | Rajasthan Royals | 12 | 6 | 6 | 0 | 12 | 0.027 |
| 6 | Chennai Super Kings | 13 | 6 | 7 | 0 | 12 | -0.016 |
| 7 | Delhi Capitals | 13 | 6 | 7 | 0 | 12 | -0.871 |
| 8 | Kolkata Knight Riders | 12 | 5 | 6 | 1 | 11 | -0.038 |
| 9 | Mumbai Indians (E) | 12 | 4 | 8 | 0 | 8 | -0.504 |
| 10 | Lucknow Super Giants (E) | 12 | 4 | 8 | 0 | 8 | -0.701 |
Hyderabad, playing their first game after a week’s rest, cruised to their 181-run target with an over to spare as Kishan scored a responsible 70 off 47 balls and Heinrich Klaasen mastered spin with a knock of 47 off 26 deliveries.
Chennai posted a 180-run total, struggling against the variations of the Hyderabad fast bowlers. Captain Pat Cummins led with 3/28 and was complemented by Sakib Hussain's 2/34 and Eshan Malinga's 1/26.
“Really satisfying, pretty tough wicket to bat,” Cummins said at the post-match presentation. “That partnership (between Kishan and Klaasen) was really tough. They just chose their match-ups, and played some ridiculous shots. The real stuff (playoffs) starts now.”
CSK legend MS Dhoni came to the MA Chidambaram Stadium for the first time this season but he was still nursing a calf injury and sat out his team’s final home game in front of almost 35,000 fans.
Earlier, Sanju Samson started in a brisk fashion on the slow pitch, smashing five fours and a six off the first 11 balls he faced before Cummins found his outside edge in the third over. Skipper Ruturaj Gaikwad laboured for 21 balls to score 15 without a boundary before he, too, fell to Cummins, but Chennai were well served by Dewald Brevis (44) and Kartik Sharma (32) scoring at a healthy rate in the middle overs.
However, they were overshadowed by Hyderabad's Kishan and Klaasen, who was dropped on 18. The pair combined 75 runs for the third wicket until Klaasen was stumped brilliantly by Samson. But Kishan batted on to six runs from victory.
“We were in the game until the second-last over,” Gaikwad said. “Everyone played their heart out today.”
CSK Vs SRH, IPL 2026: Toss Update
Chennai Super Kings won the toss and elected to bat first, citing a dry surface. Ruturaj Gaikwad confirmed that MS Dhoni was unfit and would miss what was the last home game of the season for CSK.
CSK Vs SRH, IPL 2026: Playing XIs
Sunrisers Hyderabad: Abhishek Sharma, Ishan Kishan (wk), Heinrich Klaasen, Salil Arora, Smaran Ravichandran, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Pat Cummins (c), Shivang Kumar, Eshan Malinga, Sakib Hussain, Praful Hinge
Chennai Super Kings: Sanju Samson (wk), Ruturaj Gaikwad (c), Urvil Patel, Kartik Sharma, Dewald Brevis, Shivam Dube, Prashant Veer, Akeal Hosein, Noor Ahmad, Anshul Kamboj, Spencer Johnson
Sunrisers Hyderabad Impact Substitute: Travis Head
Chennai Super Kings Impact Substitute: Mukesh Choudhary
