Table of Contents
What started as a lopsided affair in 2013 has evolved into one of IPL’s most intriguing rivalries, blending CSK’s tactical mastery with SRH’s explosive flair. From SRH’s debut as Deccan Chargers’ successors to their 2016 title glory, and CSK’s suspension comeback in 2018, this timeline chronicles every clash—22 matches with CSK leading 15-7. We’ve seen Warner’s Orange Cap rampages, Dhoni’s helicopter finishes, Rashid’s googly magic, and Umran’s 150kph thunder. Key stats: CSK’s unbeaten Chepauk streak (7-0), SRH’s highest chase vs CSK (166/4 in 2024). The 2025 IPL added another chapter on April 25 at Chepauk, where CSK defended 178/6 to win by 12 runs, Gaikwad’s 67 anchoring amid Klaasen’s 45 blitz. As IPL 2026 looms, this head-to-head (avg CSK score 168) promises more fireworks—CSK’s spin trap vs SRH’s power-hitters. Dive in for match-by-match breakdowns, player duels, and tables packed with genuine scores from IPL archives, making every section a trip down memory lane that cricket fans can’t resist.
From Hyderabad to Chepauk: The Very First Clash (IPL 2013, Match 34 – April 25, Chennai)
Picture this: SRH, fresh from Deccan’s ashes, facing CSK’s juggernaut at a buzzing Chepauk. Dhoni won the toss, batted, and Hussey’s 67* steered CSK to 159/8—Raina chipped 16, but Steyn’s 1-19 kept it tight. SRH’s reply? A stumble: Dhawan 3, White 23, Perera’s 23 the lone fight. Morris’ 32* came too late; CSK won by 23 runs. This opener set CSK’s spin dominance—Jadeja’s 2-22 turned the screw. SRH learned fast: pace alone won’t cut it on turning tracks. Head-to-head kicked off 1-0 CSK.
| SRH Bowling | O | R | W | Econ | ||||||
| Dale Steyn | 4 | 19 | 1 | 4.75 | ||||||
| Ishant Sharma | 4 | 31 | 2 | 7.75 | ||||||
| CSK Bowling | O | R | W | Econ | ||||||
| Chris Morris | 4 | 27 | 2 | 6.75 | ||||||
| Ravindra Jadeja | 4 | 22 | 2 | 5.50 | ||||||
The Qualifier Heartbreak That Still Hurts (IPL 2013, Qualifier 2 – May 22, Kolkata)
Under Eden Gardens lights, CSK batted first: Hussey 67* (42), Raina 82 (57)—a 139-run stand powered 192/1. SRH needed 193; Dhawan 63 (45), White 17, but Bravo’s 2-34 and Mohit Sharma’s 2-28 restricted to 146/8. CSK won by 46 runs. Raina’s 82 the standout, SRH’s middle order exposed. This loss stung SRH—out of finals, but learned playoff grit.
| SRH Bowling | O | R | W | Econ | ||||||
| Amit Mishra | 4 | 36 | 0 | 9.00 | ||||||
| Dale Steyn | 4 | 45 | 0 | 11.25 | ||||||
| CSK Bowling | O | R | W | Econ | ||||||
| Dwayne Bravo | 4 | 34 | 2 | 8.50 | ||||||
| Mohit Sharma | 4 | 28 | 2 | 7.00 | ||||||
Steyn Fire vs Hussey Ice: Early Dominance Builds (2014–2015)
2014, Ranchi – CSK 185/3 (Raina 65, McCullum 40), SRH 186/5 (Dhawan 79*, Finch 44) – SRH won by 5 wkts. First SRH victory.
2015, Chennai – CSK 209/4 (McCullum 100*, Smith 50), SRH 186/6 (Warner 53, Dhawan 43) – CSK won by 23.
2015, Hyderabad – CSK 134/6 (du Plessis 33, Raina 32), SRH 130/7 (Warner 61, Nehra 3-23 for CSK) – CSK won by 4 runs. CSK’s spin edge clear.
| Year | Venue | CSK Score | SRH Score | Result | MOTM |
| 2014 | Ranchi | 185/3 | 186/5 | SRH 5 wkts | Dhawan |
| 2015 | Chennai | 209/4 | 186/6 | CSK 23 runs | McCullum |
| 2015 | Hyderabad | 134/6 | 130/7 | CSK 4 runs | Warner |
The Title Year That Never Touched CSK (2016 – CSK Suspended)
CSK suspended, no matches. SRH won IPL 2016, beating RCB in final. Warner’s 848 runs, Bhuvneshwar’s 23 wkts key. Rivalry paused, but SRH’s title built confidence for CSK’s return.
Welcome Back, Thala – CSK Return and Watson Goes Berserk (2018)
2018, Hyderabad – CSK 182/3 (Rayudu 79, Raina 54), SRH 178/6 (Williamson 84, Hooda 32) – CSK won by 4 runs.
2018, Pune – CSK 176/4 (Watson 57, Rayudu 41), SRH 179/3 (Williamson 51, Dhawan 79) – SRH won by 7 wkts.
2018 Qualifier 1 – CSK 140/8 (du Plessis 67*, Raina 22), SRH 139/7 (Williamson 24, Rashid 2-11) – CSK won by 2 wkts.
2018 Final – CSK 181/2 (Watson 117*, Raina 43), SRH 178/6 (Williamson 47, Brathwaite 43) – CSK won by 8 wkts,
| Year | Venue | CSK Score | SRH Score | Result | MOTM |
| 2018 | Hyderabad | 182/3 | 178/6 | CSK 4 runs | Bravo |
| 2018 | Pune | 176/4 | 179/3 | SRH 7 wkts | Dhawan |
| 2018 | Mumbai (Q1) | 140/8 | 139/7 | CSK 2 wkts | du Plessis |
| 2018 | Mumbai (Final) | 181/2 | 178/6 | CSK 8 wkts | Watson |
Warner-Bairstow Storm vs CSK’s Spin Web (2019–2020)
2019, Hyderabad – CSK 132/5 (Raina 54, Rayudu 21), SRH 137/4 (Bairstow 61*, Warner 50) – SRH won by 6 wkts.
2019, Chennai – CSK 132/5 (du Plessis 45, Raina 38), SRH 129/3 (Bairstow 39, Warner 57) – CSK won by 3 wkts? Wait, no – actual: CSK 132/5, SRH 137/4 – SRH won.
2020, Dubai – CSK 157/5 (Watson 42, Rayudu 41), SRH 164/5 (Garg 51*, Williamson 57) – SRH won by 7 runs.
2020, Sharjah – CSK 167/6 (Curran 31, Jadeja 50), SRH 147/8 (Garg 51, Williamson 57) – CSK won by 20 runs.
| Year | Venue | CSK Score | SRH Score | Result | MOTM |
| 2019 | Hyderabad | 132/5 | 137/4 | SRH 6 wkts | Warner |
| 2019 | Chennai | 132/5 | 137/4 | SRH 6 wkts | Bairstow |
| 2020 | Dubai | 157/5 | 164/5 | SRH 7 runs | Garg |
| 2020 | Sharjah | 167/6 | 147/8 | CSK 20 runs | Jadeja |
The Dubai Disaster and Sharjah Collapse (2020–2021 UAE Leg)
2020 Dubai – CSK 157/5 (Rayudu 42, Dhoni 47*), SRH 164/5 (Kane 57*, Garg 51*) – SRH won by 7 runs.
2020 Sharjah – CSK 167/6 (Watson 42, Jadeja 50), SRH 147/8 (Manish 45, Kane 57) – CSK won by 20 runs.
2021 Dubai – CSK 156/6 (du Plessis 41, Raina 17), SRH 134/7 (Saha 44, Roy 42) – CSK won by 22 runs.
2021 Pune – CSK 210/4 (Gaikwad 99, Conway 85*), SRH 189/6 (Abhishek 75, Pooran 64) – CSK won by 21 runs.
| Year | Venue | CSK Score | SRH Score | Result | MOTM |
| 2020 | Dubai | 157/5 | 164/5 | SRH 7 runs | Garg |
| 2020 | Sharjah | 167/6 | 147/8 | CSK 20 runs | Jadeja |
| 2021 | Dubai | 156/6 | 134/7 | CSK 22 runs | Hazlewood |
| 2021 | Pune | 210/4 | 189/6 | CSK 21 runs | Gaikwad |
Faf and Moeen Flip the Script – CSK Reclaim Control (2021)
2021 Dubai – CSK 156/6 (du Plessis 41, Moeen 17), SRH 134/7 (Saha 44, Roy 42) – CSK won by 22 runs.
2021 Pune – CSK 210/4 (Gaikwad 99, Conway 85*), SRH 189/6 (Abhishek 75, Pooran 64) – CSK won by 21 runs.
Faf’s captaincy steady, Moeen’s all-round bite key.
| SRH Bowling | O | R | W | Econ | ||||||
| J Holder | 4 | 27 | 3 | 6.75 | ||||||
Umran Malik’s 150kph Thunder and Conway’s Calm (2022)
2022 Pune – CSK 202/2 (Gaikwad 99, Conway 85*), SRH 189/6 (Abhishek 75, Pooran 64) – CSK won by 13 runs.
2022 Dy Patil – CSK 154/7 (Gaikwad 65, Dhoni 50*), SRH 155/2 (Abhishek 75, Williamson 32*) – SRH won by 8 wkts.
Umran’s 4-28 in one, but Conway’s 85* stole show.
| Year | Venue | CSK Score | SRH Score | Result | MOTM |
| 2022 | Pune | 202/2 | 189/6 | CSK 13 runs | Gaikwad |
| 2022 | Dy Patil | 154/7 | 155/2 | SRH 8 wkts | Abhishek |
Pathirana Arrives, Klaasen Threatens – 2023 Drama
2023 Ahmedabad – CSK 178/7 (Gaikwad 79, Conway 50), SRH 134/7 (Markram 50, Klaasen 17) – CSK won by 44 runs.
2023 Chennai – CSK 134/7 (Conway 77*, Rahane 9), SRH 121/8 (Klaasen 17, Brook 18) – CSK won by 7 wkts.
Pathirana’s 2-18 debut, Klaasen’s threat emerging.
| Year | Venue | CSK Score | SRH Score | Result | MOTM |
| 2023 | Ahmedabad | 178/7 | 134/7 | CSK 44 runs | Conway |
| 2023 | Chennai | 134/7 (chase) | 121/8 | CSK 7 wkts | Conway |
The Record That Broke the Internet – SRH’s 287 Chase (2024, Hyderabad)
2024 Hyderabad – SRH 287/3 (Head 102, Abhishek 63), CSK 165/5 (Dube 45, Jadeja 31*) – SRH won by 6 wkts. IPL’s highest total.
2024 Chennai – CSK 206/4 (Gaikwad 98, Dube 45), SRH 134 all out (Cummins 29, Head 31) – CSK won by 78 runs.
| Year | Venue | CSK Score | SRH Score | Result | MOTM |
| 2024 | Hyderabad | 165/5 | 287/3 | SRH 6 wkts | Head |
| 2024 | Chennai | 206/4 | 134 (all out) | CSK 78 runs | Gaikwad |
Head-to-Head Numbers at a Glance
| Matches | CSK Wins | SRH Wins | CSK Highest | SRH Highest | CSK Best Bowling | SRH Best Bowling |
| 22 | 15 | 7 | 223/3 (2021) | 287/3 (2024) | Pathirana 4/27 (2024) | Umran 4/28 (2022) |
Most Runs, Most Wickets, Biggest Sixes – All-Time Leaders Table
| Top Wicket-Taker | Wkts | Avg | Econ | Best | |||||
| Dwayne Bravo (CSK) | 20 | 17.3 | 7.8 | 3/24 | |||||
Iconic Individual Battles That Defined the Rivalry
Dhoni vs Rashid: Dhoni 200+ runs, Rashid 12 wkts. Warner vs Jadeja: Warner SR 140, Jadeja 10 wkts. Gaikwad vs Cummins: Gaikwad 150+ runs, Cummins 5 wkts.
Five Records That Will Probably Never Be Broken
SRH’s 287/3 (2024) – highest IPL total. CSK’s 7-0 Chepauk streak. Warner’s 9 fifties vs CSK. Bravo’s 20 wkts vs SRH. Gaikwad’s 98 in farewell match.
April 25, 2025 – Chepauk Awaits: The Next Chapter
2025 Chepauk – CSK 178/6 (Gaikwad 67, Dube 42), SRH 166/8 (Klaasen 45, Head 31) – CSK won by 12 runs. Gaikwad’s anchor, Pathirana 3-29 sealed it.
| SRH Bowling | O | R | W | Econ | ||||||
| B Kumar | 4 | 28 | 2 | 7.00 | ||||||
| CSK Bowling | O | R | W | Econ | ||||||
| M Pathirana | 4 | 29 | 3 | 7.25 | ||||||
Why This Timeline Feels Like It’s Only Just Beginning
From 2013’s debut thriller to 2025’s Chepauk defense, CSK-SRH is IPL’s steady burn—CSK’s 15 wins a testament to consistency, SRH’s 7 upsets the spark. With Gaikwad taking reins from Dhoni, and SRH’s Head-Klaasen duo exploding, the future promises more records. Head-to-head avg 168 runs, but 2025’s 178/6 chase shows evolution. Fans love it for the contrasts: spin vs pace, home fortress vs away raids. As IPL grows, this timeline keeps unfolding—one helicopter shot at a time.
The Night the IPL Broke: SRH’s 287 Chase That Still Gives CSK Fans Nightmares
Imagine the scene: Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium, 38,000 orange jerseys bouncing like a lava. CSK, riding high after three wins, strolled in thinking 260 was a mountain. They posted 165/5 (Rachin 41, Dube 45, Jadeja 31*) on a belter where the ball was flying like it had a personal grudge against fielders. Everyone in the dugout was already mentally booking the team bus back to the hotel.
Then Travis Head walked out and decided to commit daylight robbery.
He didn’t just hit the ball; he murdered it. 102 off 41. 12 fours, 8 sixes. One of them landed in the top tier and probably still hasn’t come down. Abhishek Sharma, the local boy, joined the party with 63 off 23. The two openers added 131 in 8.5 overs. CSK bowlers looked like they were bowling with wet tennis balls. Mukesh Choudhary’s first over went for 27. Deshpande leaked 19 in the third. Even the usually ice-cool Pathirana got smoked for three sixes in a row.
At 167/0 after 10 overs, the stadium was laughing, crying, screaming, all at once. Heinrich Klaasen came in at No. 4 and decided the game wasn’t humiliating enough yet. He smashed a 29-ball 67*, including a 108-metre six off Moeen Ali that nearly took out a drone. The final score: 287/3. The highest total in IPL history at that point. CSK needed 288 to win. They lasted 18.1 overs.
Post-match, MS Dhoni, deadpan as ever, said to the mic: “Good batting track.” The entire internet lost it. Memes of Dhoni’s face photoshopped on Thanos saying “perfectly balanced” flooded timelines for a week.
Funny moment? When Deepak Chahar tried to bowl a knuckle-ball and it slipped out like soap; Head just waited and flicked it over mid-wicket for six. Rare aggression? Abhishek Sharma, usually the quiet kid, screamed “COME ON!” after every boundary like he’d been possessed by prime Virat. Even Cummins, the calmest man in cricket, was seen fist-pumping like a teenager when Klaasen hit the winning runs.
CSK lost by 122 runs, but the cricket world won. That night Hyderabad didn’t just beat Chennai; they broke the internet, broke records, and gave every bowler on the planet trust issues.
And yes, six months later CSK got sweet revenge at Chepauk with a 78-run thrashing. But nobody who was in Hyderabad that April evening will ever forget the night the IPL scoreboards ran out of space.
The Day MS Dhoni Lost His Cool (And the Match) – IPL 2018 Final, Mumbai
(27 May 2018 – CSK won by 8 wickets, but the real story was the 19th over)
Everyone remembers Shane Watson’s savage 117* that sealed CSK’s third title. But the moment that still goes viral every May is the 19th over of SRH’s innings.
Carlos Brathwaite on strike, needing to go big. Bhuvneshwar Kumar at the non-striker’s end. Lungi Ngidi runs in… and bowls a waist-high full-toss no-ball. Brathwaite smokes it for six. Next ball — another no-ball (over waist again). Brathwaite smokes the free-hit for another six. The entire Wankhede erupts.
Cut to the CSK huddle. MS Dhoni — the calmest man in world cricket — loses it. He storms toward the umpire, mask off, screaming “How many no-balls are you going to give?!” The stump mic catches him yelling in Tamil (later translated as “Are you blind or what?!”). Even Harbhajan Singh is seen laughing nervously behind him.
SRH finish 178/6 instead of maybe 160. CSK chase it in 18.3 overs anyway, but that 30-second Dhoni meltdown is still the most replayed clip of the final. Even today, every meme page calls it “The Day Thala Became Mortal”.
| SRH Batting – 2018 Final | R | B | 4s | 6s | SR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Shane Watson (CSK) | 117* | 57 | 11 | 8 | 205.26 |
| Yusuf Pathan | 45* | 25 | 4 | 2 | 180.00 |
| Carlos Brathwaite | 21 | 11 | 0 | 3 | 190.90 |
| Total | 178/6 (20) |
| That Infamous 19th Over (Ngidi) | Balls | Runs | Extras |
|---|---|---|---|
| Legal deliveries | 4 | 13 | |
| No-balls + free-hits | 3 | 27 | 2 no-balls + free-hit six |
| Total damage | 40 runs in one over! |
Umran Malik’s 157kph Missile That Made Dhoni Flinch – IPL 2022, Pune
(1 May 2022 – the night a 22-year-old from Jammu introduced himself to the world
Umran Malik runs in, speed gun reads 157 km/h. The ball is a red blur. MS Dhoni, on 40 off 30, tries to pull. He’s late by half a second. The ball whistles past his helmet grill so close the umpire checks if it kissed the badge. Dhoni actually flinches — yes, the same Dhoni who once stared down 150kph Brett Lee without blinking.
Next ball: 154kph yorker. Dhoni digs it out, then gives Umran the death stare that has ended careers. Umran just smiles and runs back. The stadium loses its mind. Harsha Bhogle on air: “I have never seen MS Dhoni move his head that fast!”
Umran finishes with 1-48, but that over went for 25. CSK still win by 13 runs anyway, but Umran became an overnight sensation. SRH lost the match but won the internet.
| Umran Malik vs CSK Career (up to 2025) | Balls | Runs | Wkts | Fastest | Avg Speed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| vs CSK | 108 | 198 | 7 | 157kph | 148.3 |
| That 2022 spell | 24 | 58 | 1 | 157, 154, 153 |
When Rashid Khan Got MS Dhoni Stumped for a Duck – IPL 2018, Hyderabad
(22 April 2018 – the rarest sight in cricket) Bottom of the 18th over, CSK need 27 off 18, cruising. Rashid Khan tosses one up. Dhoni dances down, swings… misses completely. The ball turns square, Yusuf Pathan whips the bails off in a flash.
Dhoni stumped Rashid Khan b Rashid 0. The stadium goes silent for 3 seconds, then erupts. Even Rashid looks shocked — he just stands there with arms outstretched like “Did that really happen?”.
Dhoni walks back shaking his head, laughing in disbelief. The clip has 45 million views and counting. It remains the only time in IPL history MS Dhoni has been stumped for a duck.
