Aakash Chopra assesses SRH's playoff chances after defeat to MI
What's the story
Former Indian cricketer Aakash Chopra has voiced his disappointment over SunRisers Hyderabad's (SRH) hopes of making it to the playoffs in IPL 2025.
This comes after their recent four-wicket loss to the Mumbai Indians (MI) on April 17.
The defeat has put SRH in the ninth position on the points table with two wins in seven games.
Meanwhile, they will again take on MI in their next encounter on 23rd April in Hyderabad.
Here's more.
Pessimism
Chopra believes SRH's playoff hopes are over
Chopra shared his thoughts on the matter through a video on his YouTube channel 'Aakash Chopra.'
He said, "It pains my heart, but I feel this season is gone for them. This match was extremely important... They may win a few, but now I feel this team has gone far away from qualification."
He further suggested one match can change a team's standings and SRH's qualification chances look bleak.
Analysis
SRH's performance under scrutiny
Chopra also highlighted that SRH has been struggling with bat and ball this season.
He said, "It's sad as they were playing well. They got two or three pitches that didn't suit them."
He emphasized the underperformance of players like Nitish Kumar Reddy and Ishan Kishan, who haven't been able to deliver consistent performances this season.
This season, Kishan has scored 138 runs (seven matches) at 27.60, while Reddy has scored 131 runs at 21.83 in seven games.
Pitch problems
SRH's batting struggles on sluggish pitches
Chopra also spoke about SRH's batting woes on slower pitches during their IPL 2025 clash against MI.
He wondered if Hyderabad would always falter while playing on such surfaces.
The normally explosive opening pair of Abhishek Sharma and Travis Head could only add 59 runs in 7.3 overs, which Chopra termed as the slowest they had ever played.
"Will Hyderabad always get stuck if they are made to play on such a pitch?" he questioned.
Match recap
MI hand SRH their fifth defeat of 2025 season
Batting first, SRH struggled on a tricky pitch, sliding from 59/0 to 82/3 due to constant dot ball pressure.
Heinrich Klaasen and Aniket Verma lifted them to a competitive 162/5 firing in the death overs, while MI's Jacks impressed with 2/14.
To get MI's innings going, Rohit Sharma hit three key sixes before falling to Pat Cummins.
Jacks and Suryakumar Yadav anchored the chase, with Tilak Verma and Pandya finishing the job (18.1 overs).
For SRH, Cummins starred with 3/26.