Sunrisers Hyderabad take on Chennai Super Kings in Sunday’s IPL final, aiming to replicate their 2016 success.
It is the fourth time in six seasons that Sunrisers have qualified for the decider since making their IPL debut in 2013.
Here we look at their appearances in the play-offs so far.
2013: FOURTH
As far as debuts were concerned, Sunrisers Hyderabad could not have asked for a better campaign considering they were one of the new boys in the competition. The franchise had a number of experienced players like Darren Sammy, Quinton de Kock and Dale Steyn and went on to win 10 games in the league stage, enough to finish fourth.
But their remarkable run was over in the Eliminator stage, going down by four wickets against Rajasthan. Cameron White top-scored with 31 to set a total of 132 before Brad Hodge’s unbeaten 54 saw Rajasthan home with four balls to spare.
For the first time since 2013, Sunrisers Hyderabad's playing XI will be without either David Warner or Shikhar Dhawanhttps://t.co/j3EliZz02a #SRHvCSK #IPL pic.twitter.com/DZWNQGm8V0
— ESPNcricinfo (@ESPNcricinfo) April 22, 2018
2016: CHAMPIONS
After two years of successive sixth-placed finishes, Sunrisers defied the odds to claim the title. Under David Warner’s captaincy, the franchise had to settle for third place behind league leaders Gujarat Lions and Royal Challengers Bangalore with eight wins from 14. But when the tournament reached the business end, Sunrisers stepped up their game.
After stunning former champions Kolkata Knight Riders in the Eliminator, they went on to beat league leaders Gujarat Lions to book their place in the final. An RCB side consisting of Chris Gayle, Virat Kohli and AB De Villiers stood in their way, but Warner led from the front to hit a crucial 69 before cameo roles from Ben Cutting (39) and Yuvraj Singh (38) boosted their total to 208.
Kohli and Gayle put on a century stand but Cutting was the pick of the bowlers to seal an eight-run win and their maiden IPL title.
2017: FOURTH
A back-to-back IPL title was very much alive after they sealed their spot in the play-offs following a third-place finish in the league stage. But their dream was dashed by Kolkata Knight Riders in the cruelest of fashions. Set a total of 128-7 thanks to Warner’s 37, rain then spoiled play and Kolkata’s 48-3 was enough to see them through on Duckworth-Lewis method.
