SRH Pull Off Thrilling Win, Nitish Kumar Reddy Sets Sights on Playoff Push

Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) are keeping their hopes of making the IPL 2025 playoffs alive after a hard-fought five-wicket victory over Chennai Super Kings (CSK) in Chennai on Friday. This win ended SRH’s two-game losing streak and handed CSK their second consecutive loss.

SRH chased down CSK’s total of 155 runs, reaching 155/5 in 18.4 overs. Kamindu Mendis played a crucial role, scoring 32 runs not out, and Nitish Kumar Reddy chipped in with 19 runs not out. Mendis even hit the winning runs, sealing the victory for SRH.

Nitish Kumar Reddy, who was instrumental in the win, spoke with excitement about his team’s performance and their chances of making it to the playoffs. He said, “We’re taking it one match at a time and are proud of this win. Hopefully, we can keep winning going forward.” He also talked about his partnership with Mendis, explaining, “We wanted to play a normal game, not trying to hit big shots. We focused on taking singles and twos and chased the target comfortably.”

Reddy also drew a parallel with Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) last year, who pulled off a remarkable turnaround by winning seven matches in a row to make the playoffs. He said, “Last year, RCB were in a similar situation and won seven matches in a row. Why not us this year? We’re putting in 100 percent and will see what happens.”

This win puts SRH in a better position in the IPL 2025 points table, where they currently sit in eighth place with six points from nine matches. CSK, on the other hand, dropped to fourth place with four points from nine matches. This was CSK’s fourth consecutive loss at their home ground, Chepauk, equaling their worst record in a season at the venue in 2008 and 2012.

CSK will play Punjab Kings (PBKS) at Chepauk on Wednesday, while SRH will travel to Ahmedabad to face Gujarat Titans (GT) on Friday.