For Sunrisers Hyderabad, Friday night brought joy on multiple fronts — a first-ever win at Chepauk in the IPL and a decisive performance from their pacers, keeping them alive in the race for the playoffs. However, the match also saw a blink-and-you-miss moment involving team owner Kavya Maran, which has taken social media by storm.
As Hyderabad were cruising towards their target of 155 against Chennai Super Kings, a rather frustrating moment featuring SRH batter Kamindu Mendis irked Maran during the 16th over of the chase. CSK’s Noor Ahmad overstepped and Mendis, batting on 15 at the time, earned a free hit. But instead of capitalising, Mendis missed a tossed-up delivery outside off stump while attempting a slog. The ball turned away, beating his swing, resulting in a dot ball — a rarity on a free hit.
While the incident drew a brief cheer from the CSK crowd, it was Kavya Maran’s expression that stole the spotlight. Cameras caught her animated reaction — a mix of surprise, disbelief and frustration. The moment became viral on social media.
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Despite the free-hit miss, Mendis more than made up for it. His composed 32 not out off 22 balls, in partnership with 21-year-old Nitish Kumar Reddy (19*), helped SRH seal a five-wicket win with eight balls to spare – their third victory of the season.
However, Harshal Patel and Pat Cummins laid the foundation for Hyderabad’s historic win earlier. Patel’s clever variations earned him impressive figures of 4/28, while skipper Cummins bowled with accuracy to return 2/21 figures in his four overs. Their combined efforts restricted CSK to 154, with Dewald Brevis’s explosive 42 being the only innings of note.
Ishan Kishan then led the SRH chase with a punchy 44, but wickets at regular intervals gave CSK faint hope. Mendis and Reddy ensured there were no late stumbles.
Captain Cummins summed it up aptly: “Our record against CSK isn’t that great so it’s good to fix that one up. We wish we finished that more comfortably, but overall, happy with that win.”
