CSK vs SRH Preview – Chennai and Hyderabad face off in a must-win battle

Chennai Super Kings (CSK) will host Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) in Match 43 of IPL 2025 at Chepauk on April 25, with both teams desperate to have a chance to make it to the top four.

Historically, CSK has dominated against SRH, winning 15 out of 21 encounters. But this season, things have been different for the five-time champions. Despite MS Dhoni’s return as skipper after Ruturaj Gaikwad’s injury, CSK are sitting at the bottom of the table with just two wins from eight matches. Their most recent losses to KKR and MI were when they were bowled out early and lost the game convincingly.

SRH, too, has struggled in equal measure. They kicked off with a record-breaking 286-run innings against RR, but have since lost six of their last seven games. Their batting form has been poor, with Ishan Kishan and Travis Head not performing consistently, and the bowling unit failing to deliver under pressure. Both sides have four points, but SRH have a game in hand and a slightly better net run rate than CSK.

Pitch Report

The Chennai surface is known to help spinners, with conditions becoming more favourable for them as the match progresses due to the surface slowing down. Dew may influence the pitch’s behaviour, particularly during the latter stages of the game. At the MA Chidambaram Stadium, spinners are expected to play an important role, and a total above 170 could be considered good on this surface.

Probable XII

Chennai Super Kings

Shaik Rasheed, Rachin Ravindra, Ayush Mhatre, Ravindra Jadeja, Shivam Dube, Vijay Shankar, Jamie Overton, MS Dhoni(w/c), Noor Ahmad, Khaleel Ahmed, Matheesha Pathirana

Impact Player: Anshul Kamboj

Sunrisers Hyderabad

Abhishek Sharma, Travis Head, Ishan Kishan, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Heinrich Klaasen(w), Aniket Verma, Pat Cummins(c), Harshal Patel, Jaydev Unadkat, Zeeshan Ansari, Eshan Malinga

Impact Player: Abhinav Manohar