IPL 2017 Qualifier 1: CSK vs SRH

Lore & Background

The team made their first IPL appearance in 2013, where they reached the playoffs, eventually finishing in fourth place. The Sunrisers won their first IPL title in the 2016 season, defeating Royal Challengers Bangalore by 8 runs in the final. The team has qualified for the play-off stage of the tournament for five consecutive seasons between 2016 and 2020. In 2018, the team reached the finals of the Indian Premier League, but lost to the Chennai Super Kings. In 2024, the team reached the finals of the Indian Premier League, but lost to the Kolkata Knight Riders. The team was considered one of the best bowling teams, often admired for its ability to defend low totals, but now has shifted to a remarkable batting team, according to many cricket pundits. The team also holds the record for the highest-ever IPL total with 287 runs and holds many IPL batting records.

In Their Own Story

The air in Kolkata was thick with humidity and anticipation as the floodlights hummed to life over Eden Gardens. David Warner walked out to the crease, the orange jersey bright under the glare. He didn't look at the scoreboard; he looked at the bowler. The crowd roared, a sea of yellow and orange blending into one chaotic roar. Every boundary hit felt like a declaration of intent, echoing off the stadium walls.

Reader's Guide

For the 2018 season, the Chennai Super Kings and Rajasthan Royals were reinstated in the league after serving a two-year suspension from the competition due to the involvement of their players in the 2013 IPL betting scandal. The IPL governing council decided that a maximum of five players can be retained by each IPL team. SRH retained only two players and released all remaining players from the squad. The retention of two players meant SRH went in to the 2018 IPL auction with 59 crore in their auction purse and three right-to-match (RTM) cards. The salary deduction for every retained player from the franchise's salary purse was stipulated to be 15 crore, 11 crore and 7 crore if three players were retained; 12.5 crore and 8.5 crore if two players were retained; and 12.5 crore if only one player was retained. For retaining an un

Did You Know?

• David Warner is the leading run scorer for the team, having won the Orange Cap three times, in 2015, 2017, and 2019.
• Bhuvneshwar Kumar is the leading wicket-taker having won the Purple Cap twice, in 2016 and 2017.
• The COVID-19 pandemic impacted the brand value of the Sunrisers Hyderabad which saw a decline of 4% to 57.4 million in 2020 as the overall brand value of the IPL decreased to 4.4 billion, according to Brand Finance.