SRH wrap up win
Sunrisers Hyderabad 286 for 6 (Kishan 106*, Head 67, Deshpande 3-44) beat Rajasthan Royals 242 for 6 (Jurel 70, Samson 66, Simarjeet 2-46) by 44 runs
In IPL 2024, Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) took batting to dizzying heights. With Ishan Kishan’s addition to an already power-packed line-up, everyone wondered if they might be the first team to hit 300 in the IPL. In their first fixture of IPL 2025, they seriously threatened to reach that total, thanks to Kishan’s 45-ball hundred on franchise debut and Travishek’s opening salvo. They eventually fell 14 short of 300, and just one short of IPL record they had set last season, but it was another emphatic statement of their high intent and power.
Kishan is an upgrade over their previous No.3 Rahul Tripathi. He seamlessly slotted into SRH’s line-up, clattering an unbeaten 106 off 47 balls, his first IPL ton. After Head and Abhishek had helped SRH take 94 in the first six overs, the fifth-highest powerplay total, Kishan launched from there.
Rajasthan Royals (RR) made a decent fist of the chase, with Saju Samson and Dhruv Jurel matching the intent and power of SRH’s batters with half-centuries. But such a mammoth target was always going to be unchaseable
Samson and Jurel fall
Harshal bests Samson with a slower bouncer while Zampa has Jurel holing out to Kishan at long-on. Both set batters are gone. SRH on course for a massive win.
Jurel lines up Simarjeet
| dot boll | 2nb | 6 | 6 | 1w | 6 |
Simarjeet pounded the hard length with the new ball. With the older ball, he’s been too full or short. Jurel pounces on those lengths, taking him for three sixes in three legal balls. Samson closes out a 26-run over with a four of his own.
Shami leaves the field
He seems to have hurt his hand while attempting a catch at short fine leg. Shami drops it, winces in pain, and leaves the field. Baby comes on as sub.
Samson fifty
Sanju Samson goes airborne•BCCI
He gets to the landmark off 26 balls. Jurel is closing in on his own fifty. But the asking rate is shooting up towards 17 an over. RR need 160 off 60 balls with seven wickets in hand
Zampa in as SRH’s Impact Player
Adam Zampa belts out an appeal•ILT20
Travis Head can put his feet up after his powerplay heroics with the bat and a short stint in the field. Samson greets Zampa with a pair of boundaries down the ground. Samson and Jurel take 14 runs off Zampa’s first over.
In the very next over, Jurel backs away, manufactures swinging room and laces Abhishek over extra-cover for six.
RR: 77 for 3 in powerplay
Samson and Jurel have pushed RR to 77 in the powerplay, despite the loss of three wickets. But it’s still 17 runs fewer than SRH’s tally during this phase.
Samson, who is working his way back from a finger injury, is batting without any apparent discomfort. Jurel has also run away to a fast start.
Abhishek’s second ball to Samson turns big but Samson survives a stumping chance. Will it encourage SRH to bring in Zampa or local leggie Ansari as the Impact Player?
Shami snags Nitish
Back of a length and on off. At over 140kph. This is a flat pitch, but Simarjeet and Shami have made inroads with their hit-the-deck hustle. Nitish holes out to mid-off for 11. Samson, RR’s Impact Player, has been quick off the blocks, but the early wickets have set RR so far back in this steep chase.
SRH 286 for 6, Kishan 106, Head 67
New IPL season. Same-old Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH). They looked to launch every ball into orbit and threatened to hit 300 for the first time in the IPL. They eventually fell 14 short of 300, and just one short of their own record of the highest IPL total.
Ishan Kishan, SRH’s new recruit, marked his franchise debut with a 45-ball century – his first in the IPL. Kishan is an upgrade over their previous No.3, Rahul Tripathi, and seamlessly slotted into SRH’s sixy batting line-up.
Travishek had laid the platform with a 45-run opening partnership off just 19 balls. The stand ended when Maheesh Theekshana hid the ball away from Abhishek’s reach and had him caught at point for 24 off 11 balls. The assault was so unfettered that SRH forced Rajasthan Royals (RR) into doing death bowling from the powerplay onwards. SRH plundered 94 in the first six overs, the fifth-highest powerplay total in the IPL.
Head continued his boundary-hitting spree along with Kishan in an 85-run stand off 38 balls. During that period, it appeared like 300 was within SRH’s reach.
Kishan announced himself with back-to-back fours off mystery spinner Theekshana and went onto bring up his fifty off 25 balls. He needed only 20 more balls for his hundred.
Head had also looked good for a century of his own until Tushar Deshpande struck in his first over and had him holing out for 67 off 31 balls. Nitish Reddy and Heinrick Klaasen also joined the fun as SRH kept finding or clearing the boundaries.
Each of SRH’s top six, including IPL debutant Aniket Verma struck at over 200. Jofra Archer had a rough return to the IPL, coming away with 4-0-76-0, the most expensive spell in the IPL.
Kishan hundred
Kishan has seamlessly slotted into SRH’s sixy line-up with a 45-ball ton on his franchise debut. Travishek had set the platform. He has simply launched from there. SRH need 27 off the last over to hit 300