Manish Pandey Finds His Form In His Comeback Against Chennai Super Kings

Manish Pandey, prior to the match against Chennai Super Kings (CSK), was going through a poor run of form, scoring merely 54 runs in the six games he had played for the SunRisers Hyderabad (SRH). However, on his return to the squad in the No. 3 position previously occupied by Kane Williamson, who missed the tie due to personal reasons, Pandey put in a brilliant performance, scoring 83 not out off 49 balls at a strike rate of 169.38, though it wasn't enough to take SRH over the line, as CSK won the tie with a ball remaining.

Speaking at the press conference after the match, all-rounder Shakib Al Hasan stated, "Kane (Williamson) wasn't there, so that gives the team management a chance to push someone at number 3, and they did that.

"Manish (Pandey) grabbed it with both hands, the way he played, I thought, was terrific. From the first ball, he looked in good nick. Hopefully, he can continue this form for us."

Pandey came in at 5 for 1, after Jonny Bairstow was dismissed by Harbhajan Singh for a duck.

Pandey played freely from the get-go, as demonstrated by scoring a four off his first ball by hitting it right above Harbhajan's head. By the end of the first 6 overs, he had scored 27 off 12 deliveries, eventually getting his half-century.