Pune: Ambati Rayudu hit his first Twenty20 century and spearheaded Chennai Super Kings to an eight-wicket win over table-toppers Sunrisers Hyderabad in the Indian Premier League on Sunday.
Rayudu’s unbeaten 100 off 62 balls against the best bowling attack in the IPL saw Chennai cruise to 180-2 in 19 overs in reply to Hyderabad’s 179-4.
Second-placed Chennai are within sight of a place in the play-offs with 16 points from 12 matches.
Hyderabad, who have already qualified for the play-offs with 18 points, relied on half-centuries from Shikhar Dhawan (79) and captain Kane Williamson (51), who lost the toss and was put in to bat by Chennai skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni.
The 32-year-old Rayudu and Shane Watson (57 off 35) set the tone of Chennai’s easy chase by putting on a 134-run opening wicket stand off 81 balls.
Seamers Sandeep Sharma (1-36) and Bhuvneshwar Kumar (0-38) rarely threatened before both Rayudu and Watson confidently played out spinners Shakib Al Hasan (0-41) and Rashid Khan (0-25).
Watson, who hit five fours and three sixes, was run out while going for a quick single and Suresh Raina (2) also missed out before skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni (20 not out) and Rayudu eased out the run-chase.
Rayudu hit seven fours and seven sixes and raised his century when he played Kumar to square leg for a single which also levelled the score.
Dhoni completed Chennai’s double against Hyderabad in the IPL when he ran the winning run off the following delivery.
Rayudu also scored a half-century in Chennai’s four-run win over Hyderabad in their previous meeting.
Earlier, Williamson continued his prolific form in the IPL by smashing his seventh half-century and Dhawan struck 10 fours and three sixes.
The pair shared a 123-run second wicket stand off 75 balls after Alex Hales (2) fell early.
But Chennai made a good recovery in the last four overs, thanks to Dwayne Bravo, who featured in the dismissals of both Dhawan and Williamson off successive balls.
Dhawan scooped a catch to short fine leg off Bravo’s offcutter before the West Indian all-rounder held onto a brilliant two-handed diving catch in the deep off Shardul Thakur (2-32).
