As the ongoing Indian Premier League enters a critical stage, two of the league's most popular yet struggling teams, Chennai Super Kings and Sunrisers Hyderabad, are set to face off in what seems to be a do-or-die battle on Friday at Chepauk. With both sides currently languishing at the bottom of the points table, this clash will have significant ramifications on their playoff chances.
They have only managed to win two of their last eight games so far; that has left them reeling under excruciating pressure. For CSK, this has been the most awful season, given their reputation as one of the most dominant teams in IPL’s history. They are now racing against time to safeguard their playoff chances.
On the other hand, SRH have also struggled to get the consistency needed to climb up the standings. And what makes this encounter particularly intriguing is SRH’s long-standing jinx at Chepauk. Despite numerous attempts, SRH have never been able to defeat CSK on their home turf. This lack of success at Chepauk will certainly weigh on the minds of the SRH players as they seek to break their losing record.
Despite their underwhelming start to the season, both teams remain in contention for a spot in the playoffs. Now, with only two wins on the board, the margin for error is slim. To revive their chances for playoffs, if either the CSK or SRH manage to win their remaining six games, they could still secure a place in the playoffs. But it's a mammoth task for both sides given the backbreaking competition in the tournament.
Head-to-head
Matches - 22
CSK won - 16
SRH won - 6
Chennai Super Kings probable XII: Rachin Ravindra, Shaik Rasheed, Ayush Mhatre, Ravindra Jadeja, Shivam Dube, Vijay Shankar, MS Dhoni (c&wk), Jamie Overton, R Ashwin, Noor Ahmad, Khaleel Ahmad, Matheesha Pathirana
Sunrisers Hyderabad probable XII: Abhishek Sharma, Travis Head, Ishan Kishan, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Heinrich Klaasen, Aniket Verma, Abhinav Manohar, Pat Cummins, Harshal Patel, Jaydev Unadkat, Zeeshan Ansari, Eshan Malinga