April 27, 2025: Sunrisers Hyderabad’s IPL 2025 campaign is hanging by a thread, with the team struggling to find consistency. Having managed just three wins from nine matches, the 2016 champions currently sit in eighth place in the points table. However, following a much-needed victory over Chennai Super Kings (CSK) by five wickets at the MA Chidambaram Stadium, the franchise has taken an interesting approach to boost morale.
In a bid to recharge their batteries and regroup before their next crucial match against Gujarat Titans on May 2, the Sunrisers’ management decided to send the entire team, including the support staff, on a retreat to the Maldives. The players arrived on Saturday, and the franchise shared a video of the team’s arrival with the caption: “Sun, sea, and a team retreat for our Risers in the Maldives!”
The team is expected to return to India by April 30, ahead of their match against the Shubman Gill-led Gujarat Titans. This break comes at a crucial time for SRH, who will need to turn things around quickly to stay in contention for a playoff spot.
Struggling with Batting Line-Up
While Sunrisers Hyderabad’s batting line-up was expected to be one of the most dangerous in the tournament, the slow and tricky surfaces have exposed weaknesses in their game. Initially tipped to break the 300-run mark in IPL 2025, SRH’s batsmen have struggled to adapt to the conditions, which led to losses, including a defeat to Mumbai Indians and two at home in Uppal.
Head coach Daniel Vettori acknowledged the team’s struggles on such pitches. He mentioned, “No, we haven’t (done well on those pitches). We’ve encountered them away and we’ve encountered them at home, so it hasn’t quite matched up with our expectations around the surfaces. But the onus is on us to adapt and understand what’s required.”
Adapting and Shuffling to Find Balance
Vettori further discussed how the team made adjustments to their playing XI to address their challenges, especially against CSK. He highlighted the inclusion of Kamindu Mendis, who played a key role with both the bat and ball, and the shuffling of the batting order to create a more balanced approach, particularly during chases.
“That’s why the likes of Kamindu came into the team. That’s why there was the shuffle in the batting order, putting (Heinrich) Klaasen up, Nitish (Kumar Reddy) down, to give us a more balanced approach to a chase in particular,” Vettori explained.
He also mentioned that the decision to pick Mendis was based on the conditions they expected at the CSK match venue. “A lot of the logic was picking him (Mendis) for this ground. We knew what sort of surface we’d come up against and to have a batsman who can play all types of spin, be aggressive, and hit a multitude of shots, that was the starting point.”
Looking Ahead
With their eyes set on a playoff spot, Sunrisers Hyderabad will need to build on their victory over CSK and adapt quickly to the conditions. The Maldives retreat serves as an opportunity for the team to refresh and regroup before their next challenging match against Gujarat Titans. The team will hope that this break can provide the necessary spark to kick-start a run of positive results and salvage their IPL 2025 season.