CRICKET POLL

The mood at Chepauk is a bit sombre. The sense of anticipation, typical of IPL venues on match eve, seems to be missing. There's a general lack of fanfare 24 hours out from the first ball, and at a ground that once pulled in 10,000 fans just to watch a practice session after a two-year hiatus, the silence feels louder. Inside the press conference room, Stephen Fleming doesn't have much new to say. And at the box office, the uncertainty lingers around ticket sales according to local reports, a phenomenon unheard of on these shores.

It's a reflection of the kind of season Chennai Super Kings have had so far. Only two wins in their first eight matches has consigned them to the bottom of the points table, and while MS Dhoni has briefly spoken about getting the "combinations right" and "securing an eleven" for the "next year" already, Fleming sounded a bit more optimistic than he did afterCSK's nine-wicket drubbing in Mumbai.

"We're still hopeful of winning 6 out of 6," Fleming said on the eve of the match against Sunrisers Hyderabad. "And some will giggle at that, but RCB set a blueprint for that the year before."

The RCB template, which saw the Bengaluru franchise win six of their last seven matches last year to make the playoffs, is something that SRH's head coach Daniel Vettori also referenced after a seven-wicket loss at home, coincidentally also to the Mumbai Indians. "There's been a few teams that have been able to resurrect their seasons. And you look back to RCB last year after a difficult start. So if we can take some inspiration, it's from a team like them," Vettori had said.

While the RCB-style comeback is a month-long project, what's in front are two crucial points that both teams would want to grab in order to keep their season alive. But predicting a favourite isn't as straightforward in what feels like a battle of weaknesses than strengths. CSK haven't had the best time at home, losing three of the four matches played here, and they will be up against a side that's yet to win an away game this season and that's never beaten them at home.

When: Match 43, IPL 2025, on Friday, 25 April, at 7:30 PM IST

Where: MA Chidambaram Stadium, Chennai

What to expect:Another match of attrition at a venue that's largely been difficult for the batters. Uneven ground dimensions are likely to be in play and the weather is set to be hot and humid.

Team News

Chennai Super Kings

Injury/Availability concerns: No reported injuries in the squad.

Tactics & matchups: Matheesha Pathirana has a favourable match-up against Henrich Klaasen in T20s, having dismissed him thrice in 22 balls and conceding only 26 runs.

Probable XII: Shaik Rasheed, Rachin Ravindra/Vansh Bedi, Ayush Mhatre, Ravindra Jadeja, Shivam Dube, Vijay Shankar/Sam Curran, Jamie Overton, MS Dhoni (c, wk), Noor Ahmad, Khaleel Ahmed, Matheesha Pathirana, R Ashwin

Takeaways from practice: Bowling consultant Eric Simons had a long chat with an out-of-form Rachin Ravindra on the sidelines of the net session, and it remains to be seen if CSK still stick with him. Wicketkeeper-batter Vansh Bedi got a long hit in the nets and even impressed in one of the intra-squad practice matches, and he could get a look in. The fourth overseas slot can then go to Sam Curran.

Sunrisers Hyderabad

Injury/Availability concerns:No reported injuries in the squad.

Tactics & matchups: SRH spinners have bagged just eight wickets at 50.75 and are conceding at 9.80 per over, the worst among all teams. But the likes of Zeeshan Ansari and Rahul Chahar might have it easier against CSK, who have been the worst performing side against spin this season, losing 25 wickets at 18.84 and scoring at just 6.61 per over.

Probable XII: Abhishek Sharma, Travis Head, Ishan Kishan, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Heinrich Klaasen (wk), Aniket Verma, Pat Cummins (c), Harshal Patel, Jaydev Unadkat, Zeeshan Ansari, Eshan Malinga, Rahul Chahar

SRH didn't have a practice session on match eve, given back to back games, but with Mohammed Shami struggling for rhythm, Jaydev Unadkat could keep his place.

Did you know?

SRH have lost the joint-most Powerplay wickets (16) and have the lowest average (27.81) while CSK have the lowest scoring rate in this phase.

Among the batters to have faced at least 100 balls this season, Rachin has the fourth lowest strike-rate and the lowest among specialist openers. His only 50+ score came in CSK's season opener against MI.

What they said

"There won't be a wasted game or an opportunity in the next few weeks and the players know that as well, and that creates opportunity and creates a bit of competition with them but we won't let any time go to waste" CSK head coach Stephen Fleming