Hyderabad hosted a toss that settled quickly for both sides, with Chennai Super Kings captain Ruturaj Gaikwad liking the look of the surface and opting to bowl first. Sunrisers Hyderabad captain Ishan Kishan, on the other hand, was content to bat and set up his team’s chase or, more immediately, to put runs on the board on a red-soil track expected to hold its character through the night.
Toss calls and team news
Gaikwad described the pitch as a good one and chose to field first, while Kishan’s decision reflected confidence in the ability to reach a competitive target.
Chennai also made travel for one notable name: MS Dhoni travelled with the squad for the first time. However, he will not be taking part in the match, and he was not listed on the Impact Players bench either.
Chennai’s bowling reshuffle for the new-ball
CSK’s early-over plans were altered by injury. Khaleel Ahmed, their preferred new-ball option, has been ruled out, leading to Mukesh Choudhary being brought into the XI to cover that role.
There was another adjustment in the bowling and batting balance as well, with Matthew Short included at the expense of Akeal Hosein. The selection appears aimed at creating a favourable matchup, particularly as Short’s off-spin could be used against Sunrisers Hyderabad’s aggressive left-handed top order.
Sunrisers XI, Impact Player and pitch expectations
Abhishek Sharma, Travis Head and Kishan are set to take the field immediately at the top, with the venue expected to offer bounce and to produce a typical first-innings average total of around 198 in IPL 2025. Sunrisers are also likely to look to an Impact Player option featuring left-arm pace, with Sri Lanka’s Dilshan Madushanka expected to come in when SRH’s bowling turn arrives.
- Sunrisers Hyderabad batting/bowling XI: Abhishek Sharma, Travis Head, Ishan Kishan (c), Heinrich Klaasen, Salil Arora (wk), Aniket Verma, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Shivang Kumar, Praful Hinge, Sakib Hussain, Eshan Malinga
- Sunrisers Hyderabad Impact Player options: Dilshan Madushanka, Harshal Patel, Liam Livingstone, R Smaran, Harsh Dubey
Chennai’s XI and their Impact Player bench
Chennai’s playing group includes Sanju Samson behind the stumps alongside Ruturaj Gaikwad at captain’s position. The XI blends established names with a mix of spin and pace options for the red-soil conditions.
- Chennai Super Kings XI: Sanju Samson (wk), Ruturaj Gaikwad (c), Sarfaraz Khan, Shivam Dube, Dewald Brevis, Jamie Overton, Matthew Short, Anshul Kambok, Noor Ahmad, Mukesh Choudhary, Gurjapneet Singh
- Chennai Super Kings Impact Player options: Ayush Mhatre, Prashant Veer, Kartik Sharma, Matt Henry, Ramakrishna Ghosh
