IPL 2026: A win over CSK could be a turning point for SRH, opines Steyn

New Delhi: Former South Africa quick Dale Steyn opined that Sunrisers Hyderabad’s (SRH) win over five-time champions Chennai Super Kings (CSK) could prove to be a “turning point” in their IPL 2026 campaign and that they will climb up the points table.

SRH marched into the top-four with a 10-run victory over CSK at home. This was their second successive win after two losses on the trot and their overall third win in six games.

SRH were off to a flyer after being put in to bat. Abhishek Sharma and Travis Head came out with intent, racing to 75/0 in just 5.4 overs. CSK tightened things further when Jamie Overton removed Abhishek soon after, leaving SRH at 93/3 in eight overs.

With the visitors clawing their way back, Heinrich Klaasen stepped in to rebuild and played the anchor’s role to perfection, stitching together useful partnerships with Aniket Verma, Nitish Kumar Reddy and Salil Arora. Yet, he scored 59 off 39 balls at a strike rate of 151.3. It proved crucial in taking SRH to 177/6 in 17.2 overs.

“This victory of SRH against CSK shows that they are back to their best after a slow start to the season. At the mid-innings break, I was having a chat with Heinrich Klaasen, and he told me he felt Sunrisers were probably 10 or 15 runs short of where they needed to be.

“He said a huge bowling effort would be required to secure the win. That is what Sunrisers went out and did. You could see they fielded extremely hard. They took tough catches. They were committed to the cause,” Steyn said on JioStar.

In reply, Ayush Mhatre led the chase for the Super Kings with a quickfire 13-ball 30. The youngster was particularly sparkling in the third over of the run chase, as he struck a six and four boundaries off Praful Hinge. Even though the likes of Matthew Short (34), Sarfaraz Khan (25) and Shivam Dube (21) contributed runs, the Super Kings were restricted to 184/8.

“When they finally won, I was watching Heinrich Klaasen fielding at long-off. He turned to the crowd, pumped his chest, and held the SRH badge to say, ‘Thank you for backing us, we’re back in this’. This could be the turning point for them now, where they just keep climbing up the points table,” he added.

IANS