Can Sunrisers Hyderabad and Kolkata Knight Riders End IPL 2025 on a High Note?

Synopsis
Key Takeaways
- Sunrisers Hyderabad and Kolkata Knight Riders face off in a crucial match.
- Both teams aim to conclude their disappointing seasons on a positive note.
- The pitch at Arun Jaitley Stadium favors batsmen.
- Key players to watch include Ishan Kishan and Travis Head.
- This match could shape strategies for IPL 2026.
New Delhi, May 24 (NationPress) The match that wrapped up IPL 2024 has returned to the forefront of the current season, albeit with minimal stakes. Sunrisers Hyderabad and Kolkata Knight Riders, both out of contention for the IPL 2025 playoffs, will look to conclude their dismal seasons with a much-needed victory when they clash at the Arun Jaitley Stadium this Sunday evening.
IPL 2025 was expected to showcase a spectacular performance from SRH’s formidable batting lineup, especially after their impressive runners-up finish in 2024. However, they have struggled to reach those ambitious batting benchmarks, and their bowling has not performed at its peak, resulting in a lackluster season for the Hyderabad-based team.
Nevertheless, SRH holds a slight advantage over KKR, particularly after they thwarted the hopes of Royal Challengers Bengaluru for a top-two finish in the points table with a decisive 42-run win in Lucknow, fueled by contributions from Ishan Kishan and Eshan Malinga. Additionally, KKR’s inactivity since their May 7 game against Chennai Super Kings means SRH has more match fitness.
The pitch at Kotla is expected to be conducive to batting, providing an excellent opportunity for players like Travis Head, Abhishek Sharma, Ishan Kishan, Heinrich Klassen, and Aniket Verma to exhibit their six-hitting talents and set an imposing target that could be beyond KKR’s reach.
Conversely, KKR’s current season has not lived up to the expectations of being the defending champions. This time last year, they celebrated their third title victory, but this season’s struggles necessitate a win to wrap up a campaign from which they need to learn and regroup for a stronger comeback in IPL 2026.
KKR has struggled at home, and their ongoing issues with curator Sujan Mukherjee have kept them in the headlines. Their major shortcomings have been evident in batting, with an unsettled opening pair, a middle order that has failed to meet high expectations, and consistently poor performances in the death overs.
With their bowling not being particularly impressive, KKR will be looking to draw inspiration from their earlier victory in New Delhi to end a frustrating season, even though the pre-game odds currently favor SRH.
When: Sunday, May 25 at 7:30 pm IST
Where: Arun Jaitley Stadium, New Delhi
Where to watch: Star Sports Network (TV) and JioHotstar (live streaming)
Squads:
Sunrisers Hyderabad: Abhishek Sharma, Travis Head, Ishan Kishan (wk), Nitish Kumar Reddy, Heinrich Klaasen, Aniket Verma, Abhinav Manohar, Pat Cummins (c), Harshal Patel, Jaydev Unadkat, Eshan Malinga, Mohammed Shami, Harsh Dubey, Sachin Baby, Zeeshan Ansari, Simarjeet Singh, Kamindu Mendis, Atharva Taide, Wiaan Mulder, and Rahul Chahar.
Kolkata Knight Riders: Sunil Narine, Andre Russell, Ajinkya Rahane (c), Manish Pandey, Quinton de Kock (wk), Anrich Nortje, Rinku Singh, Venkatesh Iyer, Rahmanullah Gurbaz (wk), Ramandeep Singh, Anukul Roy, Mayank Markande, Varun Chakravarthy, Spencer Johnson, Chetan Sakariya, Luvnith Sisodia, Vaibhav Arora, Angkrish Raghuvanshi, Harshit Rana, and Shivam Shukla.