Moeen Ali top-scored with a 35-ball 48 to guide Chennai Super Kings to 154 for seven after Sunrisers Hyderabad bowlers sought to make use of a tricky pitch in their IPL match in Navi Mumbai on Saturday.
Skipper Ravindra Jadeja (23 off 15 balls) played a little cameo towards the end to prop up CSK after they lost wickets in a heap.
Both teams entered the game looking to open their account in the 15th edition of the tournament.
Sent into bat, CSK were off to a shaky start with Bhuvneshwar Kumar inducing edges from Robin Uthappa's (15) bat in the first over, with one going for a boundary.
Uthappa's unconvincing stay in the middle was brought to an end by Washington Sundar (2/21), in the off-spinner's very first ball, when the batter ended up skying a catch while going for a slog-sweep.
Having conceded 25 runs in the first three overs, SRH were back in the game and it got better for them with the introduction of T Natarajan (2/30) into the attack as the left-arm pacer bowled Ruturaj Gaikwad (16).
Making a dream start to his spell, Natarajan went through the gap between Gaikwad's bat and pad as he shaped to work it on the leg side. Gaikwad had begun well, fetching a boundary each through the cover and point-third man region.
At 36 for two in 5.1 overs, CSK were in a spot of bother and they needed a partnership, and the duo of Moeen Ali (48) and Ambati Rayudu (27) answered the call with a third-wicket stand of 62 runs.
While Rayudu found the fence four times during his run-a-ball knock, Moeen struck two sixes and three fours before being dismissed by part-timer Aiden Markram.
Nearing 100 and with some more batting to come on a pitch where the ball seemed to stop, CSK were well-placed when Rayudu departed after playing a part in rebuilding the innings.
However, Williamson's gamble to bring in Markram worked as CSK lost their fourth wicket at 108 in the 15th over.
In a soft dismissal, Natarajan accounted for Shivam Dube as the defending champions lost three wickets in quick succession.
Two overs later, even the great Mahendra Singh Dhoni (3) was walking back to the dugout, with CSK struggling at 122 for six with 15 balls left to add to their total.