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.

The resemblance of SRH and CSK’s dire circumstances, though, isn’t an outcome of similar problems.

For the Surinsers, the batting bravado which bulged their sails in a barnstorming 2024 campaign has flattered to deceive this time. In the absence of an anchoring presence steering the innings, SRH has floated aimlessly from one batting failure to another.

Amidst high-profile batting collapses, SRH’s bowling deficiencies have largely flown under the radar.
| Photo Credit:
KVS GIRI/The Hindu

It has lost more wickets than any other side in IPL 2025 and also brands the second-lowest batting average in the season.

For the Super Kings, control hasn’t been the issue, but momentum. The five-time IPL champion has often looked rudderless with the bat, disregarding the need to accelerate even in tall chases, clinging to an outdated idea of T20 cricket.

CSK has drifted on at a sub-par run rate of 7.63, the lowest by a distance in IPL 2025 (Kolkata Knight Riders at second-last has 8.31). Its lack of intent is endorsed by its abysmal boundary per cent (15.27) – no other team has a count below 20 this season.

The home team could rely on the services of Dewald Brevis to bring its middle-order to life. The South African batter is in a rich vein of form, aggregating 291 runs at a strike rate of 184.17 in the recent SA20.

Brevis’ ability to clear the fence — he scored more sixes (25) than anyone in SA20 2024/25 — could be the injection of intent CSK need now.

In the bowling front, CSK holds the edge, with left-arm wrist spinner Noor Ahmad leading the charge with 12 wickets, while pacer Khaleel Ahmed has been effective upfront, with seven of his 11 scalps coming in the PowerPlay.

Off-spinner R Ashwin will have a chance to make amends for an off-colour season, as he squares up against the all-left-handed SRH top order.

Amidst high-profile batting collapses, SRH’s bowling deficiencies have largely flown under the radar. None of its bowlers has an economy rate under eight or has taken at least 10 wickets this season.

A combination of all these frailties has pushed both teams to the brink, with the prospect of elimination looming large over the side which stumbles on Friday.