For much of Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025, Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) and Chennai Super Kings (CSK) have been in the same boat, caught in a whirlpool of inconsistencies and shortcomings, circling further and further away from a playoff spot most had earmarked for them going into the tournament.
On Friday, the two sides will meet at the M. A. Chidambaram Stadium in a game that is realistically the final chance for either team to break free of the choppy waters and make an improbable, late push for a top-four spot.
At the very least, a win would go a long way for CSK and SRH to avoid the ignominy of finishing at the bottom of the standings — a fate yet to befall the former, while having happened just once for the latter.
The wounds are fresher for SRH, which succumbed to its sixth defeat of the season on Wednesday to Mumbai Indians, giving it an unenviable task of regrouping in under 48 hours for the Chennai game.
– Pranay Rajiv
CSK vs SRH, IPL 2025: Laggards Super Kings, Sunrisers hope to break free of poor form
At the very least, a win would go a long way for CSK and SRH to avoid the ignominy of finishing at the bottom of the standings — a fate yet to befall the former, while having happened just once for the latter.