<p>Chennai: Ishan Kishan struck a fluent 70 after Pat Cummins displayed his mastery over length and pace with a three-wicket burst as Sunrisers Hyderabad ensured an IPL 2026 playoff berth with a smooth five-wicket victory over Chennai Super Kings here on Monday.</p>.<p>Chasing 181 was never going to be easy on a slowish Chepauk track. But Kishan, who hammered seven fours and three sixes in his 47-ball knock, and an equally enterprising Heinrich Klaasen (47 off 26 balls) added 75 runs for the third wicket, powering Hyderabad to 181 for five in 19 overs.</p>.<p>SRH now have 16 points with a game in hand -- good enough to carry them to the playoffs and the night’s result meant that Gujarat Titans (16 points) also marched into the knockouts.</p>.<p>Royal Challengers Bengaluru (18 points) have already sealed their place in the playoffs, leaving other contenders to fight it out for the lone remaining place.</p>.<p>The Super Kings, who have 12 points from 13 matches, also are not yet completely out of the race to the knockouts.</p>.<p>Cutting back to the match, the Sunrisers did not have a particularly bright beginning to the chase, losing Travis Head early.</p>.<p>Abhishek Sharma too struggled for his timing, crawling to a 21-ball 26 as SRH could not find momentum in the Power Play, which they ended on 45 for one.</p>.<p>But once Klaasen, who was dropped on 18 by Spencer Johnson off Noor Ahmad, joined Kishan, the complexion of the game changed.</p>.<p>The duo neutralised CSK spinners -- Akeal Hossain and Ahmad -- with exemplary shot-making and foot work during their alliance as SRH closed in on the target.</p>.IPL 2026 | Punjab Kings pay for poor fielding as SRH 'OutKlaas' them to top points table.<p>Kishan completed his 50 in 37 balls but lost Klaasen to a brilliant stumping by Sanju Samson off Ahmad. However, the left-hander, who played some brilliant shots around the field, converted that fifty into something more substantial to drive his side’s charge.</p>.<p>However, he was not there to take SRH home as he fell to Anshul Kamboj but by then the 2016 champions needed just six runs to win.</p>.<p>Earlier, pacer Cummins displayed his absolute control over his craft, but a collective batting effort helped CSK reach a competitive 180/7.</p>.<p>The Hyderabad skipper (3/28) struck at crucial junctures of the match to ensure that CSK would not embark on a lopsided run after the home side elected to bat.</p>.<p>Samson gave a thunderous start to the Super Kings, smashing Nitish Kumar Reddy for 6, 4, 4, to eke out 17 runs in the first over.</p>.<p>Samson handed an equally harsh treatment to Praful Hinge in the next over, biffing him for a hat-trick of fours.</p>.<p>But Cummins introduced himself in the third over, and pitched one up at good pace, and Samson’s booming drive ended in the safe mitts of stumper Ishan Kishan.</p>.<p>Urvil Patel gave an early warning of hitting abilities with two successive sixes off Cummins, but Sakib Hussain’s slow ball beat his horizontal bat to rattle the stumps.</p>.<p>Chennai captain Ruturaj Gaikwad and the impressive Kartik Sharma (32, 19 balls) constructed a 42-run stand for the third wicket to keep their side on the track.</p>.<p>Kartik underlined his fast-growing maturity with some stunning shots like an inside out four off Hinge and a pulled six of left-arm wrist spinner Shivang Kumar.</p>.<p>But Cummins returned to account for the young right-hander as a pace off delivery outside off-stump robbed momentum from his upper cut, which ended with Nitish at deep.</p>.<p>Soon, Cummins’ pacy chest-high bouncer accounted for Gaikwad, snapping his painful 15 off 21 balls. Gaikwad’s lame pull could not clear Eshan Malinga in the deep.</p>.<p>Stranded without any force, CSK found some wind through Dewald Brevis (44, 27 balls) and Shivam Dube (26), who added 59 runs for the fifth wicket.</p>.<p>Brevis, who struggled for his range in this IPL so far, was impeccable on the night, creaming Cummins for six and Nitish for a maximum and a four. It was his highest score in this IPL season.</p>.<p>But Malinga rearranged his stumps with a 141 kmph thunderbolt to stall CSK again.</p>
<p>Chennai: Ishan Kishan struck a fluent 70 after Pat Cummins displayed his mastery over length and pace with a three-wicket burst as Sunrisers Hyderabad ensured an IPL 2026 playoff berth with a smooth five-wicket victory over Chennai Super Kings here on Monday.</p>.<p>Chasing 181 was never going to be easy on a slowish Chepauk track. But Kishan, who hammered seven fours and three sixes in his 47-ball knock, and an equally enterprising Heinrich Klaasen (47 off 26 balls) added 75 runs for the third wicket, powering Hyderabad to 181 for five in 19 overs.</p>.<p>SRH now have 16 points with a game in hand -- good enough to carry them to the playoffs and the night’s result meant that Gujarat Titans (16 points) also marched into the knockouts.</p>.<p>Royal Challengers Bengaluru (18 points) have already sealed their place in the playoffs, leaving other contenders to fight it out for the lone remaining place.</p>.<p>The Super Kings, who have 12 points from 13 matches, also are not yet completely out of the race to the knockouts.</p>.<p>Cutting back to the match, the Sunrisers did not have a particularly bright beginning to the chase, losing Travis Head early.</p>.<p>Abhishek Sharma too struggled for his timing, crawling to a 21-ball 26 as SRH could not find momentum in the Power Play, which they ended on 45 for one.</p>.<p>But once Klaasen, who was dropped on 18 by Spencer Johnson off Noor Ahmad, joined Kishan, the complexion of the game changed.</p>.<p>The duo neutralised CSK spinners -- Akeal Hossain and Ahmad -- with exemplary shot-making and foot work during their alliance as SRH closed in on the target.</p>.IPL 2026 | Punjab Kings pay for poor fielding as SRH 'OutKlaas' them to top points table.<p>Kishan completed his 50 in 37 balls but lost Klaasen to a brilliant stumping by Sanju Samson off Ahmad. However, the left-hander, who played some brilliant shots around the field, converted that fifty into something more substantial to drive his side’s charge.</p>.<p>However, he was not there to take SRH home as he fell to Anshul Kamboj but by then the 2016 champions needed just six runs to win.</p>.<p>Earlier, pacer Cummins displayed his absolute control over his craft, but a collective batting effort helped CSK reach a competitive 180/7.</p>.<p>The Hyderabad skipper (3/28) struck at crucial junctures of the match to ensure that CSK would not embark on a lopsided run after the home side elected to bat.</p>.<p>Samson gave a thunderous start to the Super Kings, smashing Nitish Kumar Reddy for 6, 4, 4, to eke out 17 runs in the first over.</p>.<p>Samson handed an equally harsh treatment to Praful Hinge in the next over, biffing him for a hat-trick of fours.</p>.<p>But Cummins introduced himself in the third over, and pitched one up at good pace, and Samson’s booming drive ended in the safe mitts of stumper Ishan Kishan.</p>.<p>Urvil Patel gave an early warning of hitting abilities with two successive sixes off Cummins, but Sakib Hussain’s slow ball beat his horizontal bat to rattle the stumps.</p>.<p>Chennai captain Ruturaj Gaikwad and the impressive Kartik Sharma (32, 19 balls) constructed a 42-run stand for the third wicket to keep their side on the track.</p>.<p>Kartik underlined his fast-growing maturity with some stunning shots like an inside out four off Hinge and a pulled six of left-arm wrist spinner Shivang Kumar.</p>.<p>But Cummins returned to account for the young right-hander as a pace off delivery outside off-stump robbed momentum from his upper cut, which ended with Nitish at deep.</p>.<p>Soon, Cummins’ pacy chest-high bouncer accounted for Gaikwad, snapping his painful 15 off 21 balls. Gaikwad’s lame pull could not clear Eshan Malinga in the deep.</p>.<p>Stranded without any force, CSK found some wind through Dewald Brevis (44, 27 balls) and Shivam Dube (26), who added 59 runs for the fifth wicket.</p>.<p>Brevis, who struggled for his range in this IPL so far, was impeccable on the night, creaming Cummins for six and Nitish for a maximum and a four. It was his highest score in this IPL season.</p>.<p>But Malinga rearranged his stumps with a 141 kmph thunderbolt to stall CSK again.</p>