On a two-paced surface, Chennai Super Kings posted 180/7 - which was a competitive total. However, Sunrisers Hyderabad, led by fine knocks from Ishan Kishan and Heinrich Klaasen, surpassed the total with an over to spare, to secure their qualification to the playoffs. Heinrich Klaasen and Ishan Kishan They took charge at different times, but their 75-run stand followed by Ishan's flourish ensured that despite the rising required rate, SRH were never pushed out of the chase.It wasn't the most fluent knock from Kishan, but he provided the tempo that was needed to the chase. Ruturaj Gaikwad took a long breath and waited for the crowd cheers to halt when Ravi Shastri asked if MS Dhoni will play the game against SRH. Much to the crowd's disappointment, the CSK skipper announced, "He's not fit enough to play this game. Hopefully we win this one and you'll never know in the last game." Citing the dry surface, another interesting call taken at the toss, was the decision to bat. Three years ago, they last made such a decision at home. Sanju Samson pumped the first legitimate delivery of the innings for a six down the ground, and then followed that up by tucking the next away for a boundary. He got CSK off to a fast start right away. Even as his innings lasted only 13 balls, the early blitz provided by him, offered CSK a much-needed momentum. Urvil Patel too deposited a couple of deliveries past the boundary ropes, but his struggles became evident against the slower deliveries which Pat Cummins used adequately. When the SRH pacers used cutters, their big hits early on were especially useful for Ruturaj Gaikwad, who had no way to counter them. He mistimed a pull to the deep midwicket in the 12th over, resulting in a painful 21-ball 15 runs. On a surface where the ball wasn't coming on easily, most batters struggled to find their timing. Turning the strike over was becoming just as difficult as hitting the ball past the ropes. However, Kartik Sharma and Dewald Brevis made good use of whatever opportunities that came their way. Apart from being quick to dispatch the full length deliveries, Kartik also managed to get under the ball and power them past the ropes against Praful Hinge. However, in an attempt to dispatch Cummins, he became the second victim of the SRH skipper, in the 8th over. Despite Gaikwad's struggles, at the fall of his wicket, CSK were in a fairly decent position courtesy the early attack. However, it was the 59-run stand between Dewald Brevis and Shivam Dube that laid the foundation for an impressive total by CSK. The seamer was thrown off his lines and lengths when the two took Nitish Kumar for 18 runs in the 14th over. But it was the 16th over when Brevis really imposed himself by nailing a six off Cummins, and following it up by flicking him for a boundary. Cummins, who had conceded 16 runs and picked three wickets in his first overs, was taken apart for 12 to end his spell. As the bowlers repeatedly mixed their pace, big hits continued to come at a premium. Both Brevis and Dube departed in their bid to go big. Brevis went late into a pull and Dube was cleaned up after getting foxed by a slower one. Nonetheless, the odd boundaries kept coming and the hosts managed to take their side to a competitive score on a challenging surface. Using the new ball, as Samson had earlier in the evening, would be the best bet if Sunrisers Hyderabad needed to make the goal easier to reach. While Abhishek did strike a couple of fours in the opening over, the big shots didn't come as easily. Head fell early, but Kishan walked in with the intent to dominate. His first boundary went through an edge, but he placed a few more deftly and assisted SRH in scoring 12 runs in the fourth over. With the ball holding up a bit, the usually destructive SRH top-order, however, struggled to explode the way they usually like. By the time Abhishek departed, sweeping Akeal Hosein to fine leg in the eighth over, the required rate had mounted to more than 10-an-over. Klaasen appeared to be one of the most confident batters on a surface where the majority of batters had a hard time adjusting to the speed. He got going by cutting Noor for a boundary, and then following it up by reverse sweeping Akeal Hosein for a four. The spinner was then lofted by him for a six. He swept Noor straight to the fielder at deep square leg with precise timing as he broke free. However, a diving Spencer Johnson, who came to take a diving catch, spilled it. It was, without a doubt, costly. They got the momentum they needed as Klaasen smashed his way to a 26-ball 47, and added a 75-run stand with Kishan off only 41 balls. Three boundaries in the final inning of SRH's innings sealed the deal in a game that came to be defined by the batter's inability to middle the ball. With 23 needed off 14 balls, the game still hung in the balance, cantering around at the required rate that had come to define the innings. Ishan Kishan moved toward the offside and smashed a powerful shot into the ground as Mukesh Chaudhary's line of action, away from the batter's hitting arc, was obvious. With a powerful pull over deep square leg, he finished the over. Kishan departed in the next over as Anshul Kamboj made a fine comeback after being smashed for a six, but it was too late by then. Smaran Ravichandran hit a boundary off the last ball of the over to help SRH over the line. Sunrisers Hyderabad and Gujarat Titans both secured their places in the playoffs. In contrast, Chennai Super Kings must rely on permutations. While Chennai Super Kings play their final league game on May 21 against Gujarat Titans in Ahmedabad, Sunrisers Hyderabad will travel back home to play RCB on May 22.