Author : Adam Admin | Created : 2021-07-01 16:07:00
The thrill of the Indian Premier League has been delighting fans worldwide for many years now and sending local fans in India to fever pitch. Two firm favourites in the league are the Chennai Super Kings and Sunrisers Hyderabad, who since 2013 have played an annual fixture against each other.
They’ve given cricket fans some dazzling displays of on the pitch talent and some unforgettable moments during this time.
The action hasn’t stopped since 2013, so let’s recap their excellent sporting history.
The first time these two titans met on the pitch was back in 2013, and they’ve played a fixture every year since then. The cricket world first played the IPL in April 2008, and the tournament has steadily gained popularity since then, with teams in India recruiting players from all over the cricketing world.
But it was in 2013 that CSK played the first fixture against SRH.
Since then, the teams have met each other on the pitch with ever-increasing competition and the strongest desire to emerge the victor.
The matches between CSK and SRH, also known as the South Indian Derby, has become a fan favourite, and SRH is known as being one of the biggest rivals of the CSK. Certainly after big teams like the Mumbai Indians and the Royal Challengers Bangalore.
The two teams have faced each other on ten occasions, but the Yellow Army has enjoyed a solid advantage over Hyderabad’s team.
It is safe to say that the teams indulge in a well-established rivalry. Players are known to trade insults with each other on and off the pitch and have at times engaged in less than gentlemanly behaviour.
2013: On the 25th of April, at the first match between the two teams, CSK won the match by
five wickets.
Then at the follow-up match on the 8th of may, CSK again took top colours and defeated their opponents, winning by 77 runs.
2014: The two rivals met again on the 27th of April, with CSK taking the match by five wickets.
However, on the 22nd of May, the SRH played a convincing game and took the winning spot with six wickets. As it happens, this would be one of only a few occasions where fortune would favour SRH against CSK.
2015: The two teams faced off again on the 27th of April 2015, and again the CSK drove the
winning cup home, beating SRH by five wickets.
On the 2nd of May, the teams met each other on the pitch and played one of the most memorable games of the league that year. However, SRH would take victory this time around with a convincing win of 22 runs over their opponents.
2018: It would be two years before the teams faced each other again, and fans would agree
that it was well worth the wait.
The teams met on four occasions this time around and played their first match on the 22nd of April, but as hopeful and hardworking as SRH would be, it wouldn’t be enough against their archrivals, and the CSK took that match by just four runs.
They met again on the 13th of May, and again the CSK took the match by eight wickets.
The massacre didn’t stop there. The teams met again on the 22nd and 27th of May, with CSK winning by two and then eight wickets, respectively.
2019: Apri 17th started promisingly for SRH, with a long-anticipated and awaited win over
bitter rivals CSK, with the match going to SRH by six wickets. But, the celebrations were
somewhat short-lived, as, at the follow-up match on April 23rd, CSK once again displayed why they are the superior of the two teams by claiming a win over SRH by six wickets.
2020: On October 13th, CSK would take this match by 20 runs, but on the 20th of October, the
cricket gods showed rare favour to SRH when they took the game on this occasion with a solid win over CSK by seven runs.
2021: This year, the teams first met on the 28th of April, where CSK won by seven wickets and
then on the 30th of September, they again defeated SRH with a win by six wickets.
The fixture between these two teams is a much-anticipated meet at every year’s IPL tournaments. Still, if history is anything to go by, it appears that SRH will face ever stiffer competition in the future.
CHENNAI SUPER KINGS
MS Dhoni
Arguably the most popular CSK player (certainly on social media) is the iconic wicketkeeper and batsman MS Dhoni. Under his leadership, India won the ICC T20 world cup in 2007 and the ICC ODI World Cup in 2011. He has amassed a solid career with very convincing wins and has a rather impressive 67 million followers on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook. Currently, he holds the title of 2nd most followed cricketer worldwide.
He has since retired from international cricket but remains something of a national treasure in India.
SUNRISERS HYDERABAD
DAVID WARNER
A native of Paddington, Australia, David Warner has enjoyed an impressive cricketing career. However, he courted notoriety with the now infamous ball-tampering scandal that got him banned from international and domestic cricket for a year.
He has since returned in top form and is the best player on the SRH team. David can easily take on the best of attacks and, if playing a two-paced pitch, will play slow but impactful innings for the team.
In the 2019 World Cup, Warner played a fantastic tournament but then went to a record-breakingly poor “Ashes” where I managed just 95 runs in 10 innings. Still, in typical Warner style, his bounce back against Pakistan in Adelaide was legendary as he scored an unbeaten 335 against the tourists.
There is no doubt about it; these two teams have some absolutely stellar players between them, and their passion and commitment to the game are unquestionable. Fans can look forward to many more thrilling exchanges between the teams, and, ultimately, cricket - will be the winner.