In today’s IPL 2025 match, Sunrisers Hyderabad are set to face Chennai Super Kings at the M. A. Chidambaram Stadium. It’s going to be a competitive contest, as both teams are under pressure, being at the bottom of the table and desperate for a win. We might see a good contest between SRH openers Abhishek Sharma and Travis Head and CSK’s premier pacers Khaleel Ahmed and Matheesha Pathirana.
Pathirana’s Test for Abhishek and Head
It’s interesting that Travis Head and Abhishek Sharma have never faced Pathirana in the IPL, and this will be the first time they encounter the Sri Lankan fast bowler. Talking about Pathirana, he has taken 7 wickets in 6 matches so far, with an economy of 10.43.
SRH batters are known for putting up big runs in the powerplay. Last year, against Delhi Capitals, they scored 125 runs in the powerplay. Meanwhile, in the IPL, Pathirana has dismissed 22% of the top-order batters.
It will be exciting to see the contest between two skilled batters and one lethal bowler playing against each other in Chennai, both under pressure and facing off for the first time.
Khaleel to trouble Abhishek
Left-arm pacer Khaleel Ahmed might trouble Abhishek Sharma since they will be facing each other for the third time in the IPL. Their earlier encounters in 2022 and 2024 weren’t notable, as Abhishek has only faced 4 balls against Khaleel and got dismissed once. It will be an interesting contest to watch. Khaleel Ahmed is known for providing early breakthroughs; out of all his IPL wickets, 49.4% (42 wickets) have been top-order dismissals.
Regarding Khaleel Ahmed and Travis Head, both players have never faced each other, making this matchup interesting to watch. Khaleel has been performing well with the ball this season, taking 11 wickets in 8 matches.
Abhishek and Travis need to perform well
Abhishek Sharma and Travis Head need to perform exceptionally well in the upcoming matches of the IPL, as they are on the verge of being mathematically eliminated from the top 4. Both have shared similar scores in 8 matches; Abhishek has scored 204 runs, while Travis has scored 244 runs.
Abhishek Sharma has a good strike rate of 183.2, and Travis has 163.0 so far. However, their performances haven’t met expectations. Abhishek has scored one century and no half-centuries, while Travis has scored two half-centuries in the 8 matches so far. Neither of them is the top scorer for their team this season.
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