No playoffs, just pride: Last year's finalists fight for consolation prize

Cricket is a great leveller. Just as success is fleeting, failure too is inevitable, and it's this very uncertainty that defines the beauty of sport. This holds especially true in T20 cricket, where momentum swings wildly like a misfiring seesaw. Just last year, KKR and SRH enjoyed terrific campaigns, culminating in a clash in the final where KKR clinched their third IPL title. Fast forward to IPL 2025, and both teams find themselves out of playoff contention. Now, the 2024 finalists are set to face off once again, this time in their final league game of the season, with only the timeless cliche of playing for pride on the line.

Sunrisers Hyderabad began the tournament in emphatic fashion, dismantling Rajasthan Royals in a record-smashing win. But the high-octane batting template that defined their early success soon lost its edge. Opposing teams responded with sharp strategies to blunt SRH's firepower, and with their bowling built around containment rather than aggression, any stutter with the bat left the side exposed. Travis Head couldn't quite hit the heights he had previously set, which placed greater responsibility on his younger partner, Abhishek Sharma. While Abhishek produced a few standout innings, SRH ultimately lacked the collective spark that had made them such a formidable force in 2024.

Pat Cummins' men come into this fixture with a touch of momentum, having secured back-to-back wins. SRH first chased down a 200-plus target with ease against LSG in Lucknow, then followed it up by defending a hefty 231 against RCB at the same venue. It's fair to say their batting has rediscovered some of its early-season flair, even if a little too late. With this match set to be played at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in Delhi, SRH's batters will once again back themselves on a surface that often rewards strokeplay. However, they'll be up against the tournament's most potent spin duo in Varun Chakaravarthy and Sunil Narine. KKR may be out of playoff contention, but the pair have been outstanding all season, relentlessly stifling batters and offering little margin for error.

Unfortunately for the defending champions, they didn't have much else to show apart from their spin prowess and the occasional batting brilliance from certain individuals. The big ticket signing of Venkatesh Iyer was a marquee move that hasn't worked out this season, so much so that the left-hander has even been left out of the playing XII in recent games. Ironically for KKR, their batters have been inefficient in handling spin and the middle overs batting often cost them crucial impetus against tough opponents. The bowling hasn't really done a bad job for KKR but their batting issues is what proved to be critical.

The holders have also had to part ways with a few key players from their title-winning squad of 2024 but this is unavoidable when a mega auction comes around. They still do have a decent core and some sensible mini-auction buys and some tactical tweaks should help the side to turn things around. They have one more chance this season to try out a few things while also hoping to end on a high. For SRH, making it three in a row will be some comfort in a season where they could have done a lot better.

When: Sunrisers Hyderabad vs Kolkata Knight Riders, IPL 2025 at 7.30 PM Local

Where:Arun Jaitley Stadium, Delhi

What to expect: Hot weather with temperatures hovering around the mid-30s and high humidity. Pitches here have been high scoring and the small ground dimensions mean that six-hitting will be in business. There has been some help for spinners but that hasn't been drastic enough to stop run fests. Expect another high scoring game.

Head to Head: SRH 9-KKR 20. The Knight Riders have also won six of the last eight fixtures between the sides, including last year's final.

Team Watch:

Sunrisers Hyderabad

Injuries/Unavailability: No issues have been reported regarding injury or unavailability from the SRH camp.

Tactics and Matchups:

After a slow start, Cummins has rediscovered his mojo. In the last seven games, he has picked 12 wickets at an economy of 7.37. He will hope to land early strikes against the only team without a 50+ opening partnership this season.

Probable XII:Travis Head, Abhishek Sharma, Ishan Kishan(wk), Heinrich Klaasen, Nitish Reddy, Abhinav Manohar, Aniket Verma, Pat Cummins(c), Harsh Dubey, Harshal Patel, Jaydev Unadkat, Eshan Malinga.

Kolkata Knight Riders

Injuries/Unavailability: Rovman Powell and Moeen Ali opted not to come back to India once the season resumed. The former has been replaced by Shivam Shukla.

Tactics and matchups:

Varun and Narine have been particularly excellent as a pair outside the Eden Gardens. As a pair, they have 16 wickets from 5 away fixtures while going at a combined economy of 6.03. SRH won a