Hyderabad (Telangana) [India], March 23: A blistering century by debutant Ishan Kishan and a scintillating half-century from Travis Head propelled Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) to a massive total of 286/6 against Rajasthan Royals (RR) at Uppal Stadium on Sunday. This remarkable total sets the stage for an exciting contest as SRH began their IPL 2025 campaign in style.
The explosive partnership between Head and Kishan was the highlight of SRH’s innings, with Head contributing 67 off 31 balls, including nine fours and three sixes. Meanwhile, Ishan Kishan’s debut performance was nothing short of spectacular, as he smashed an unbeaten 106 from 47 balls, laced with 11 fours and six sixes. Their aggressive batting performance overshadowed RR’s bowling attack, despite Tushar Deshpande’s three-wicket haul for the Royals.
RR’s decision to field first after winning the toss seemed to backfire as SRH’s openers, Head and Abhishek Sharma, started in dominant fashion. Head launched into Maheesh Theekshana, hitting him for a four and a six, while Abhishek put pressure on Fazalhaq Farooqi, dispatching him for five boundaries, including a hat-trick of fours in the third over. The opening partnership produced 45 runs, but Abhishek was dismissed for 24 in 11 balls after attempting to slash Theekshana.
Ishan Kishan’s entry turned up the tempo, as he started with two quick fours, bringing up SRH’s 50 in just 3.4 overs. Head followed up with a savage attack on Jofra Archer, taking him for 23 runs in the fifth over, with four fours and a huge six over deep midwicket. By the end of the powerplay, SRH were a dominant 94/1, with Head on 46* and Kishan on 20*.
The pair continued to dominate, with Head bringing up his half-century off just 21 balls, which included six fours and three sixes. However, their 85-run partnership came to an end in the 10th over when Head was dismissed for 67, caught by Shimron Hetmyer at mid-on off Deshpande.
At the halfway mark of the innings, SRH stood at 135/2, with Kishan on 33* and Nitish Kumar Reddy joining him at the crease. The onslaught resumed in the 13th over, as Kishan took Archer to the cleaners, smashing him for three sixes, including a stunning maximum that brought up his half-century in just 25 balls. Archer’s dismal spell reached new lows as he conceded 50 runs in just 16 balls, the most expensive IPL spell in history.
Nitish also contributed with a cameo of 30 off 15 balls, hitting four boundaries and a six, before he was dismissed by Theekshana. At 202/3 in the 14th over, SRH continued to charge towards an imposing total. The quickfire scoring did not stop there, as Kishan and Heinrich Klaasen kept up the pressure, with Archer conceding a whopping 23 runs in his final over.
Klaasen’s brief but impactful knock of 34 off 14 balls, including five fours and a six, ended when he was caught by Riyan Parag off Sandeep Sharma, leaving SRH at 258/4 in the 18th over.
Ishan Kishan, on a rampage, then hit two successive sixes off Sandeep to bring up his century in just 45 balls, further cementing his place in IPL history with 10 fours and six sixes. The remaining SRH batsmen, including Aniket Verma (7) and Abhinav Manohar (golden duck), could not hold up for long, as Deshpande claimed two quick wickets, including a hat-trick ball.
SRH finished their innings at a formidable 286/6 in 20 overs, with Ishan Kishan remaining unbeaten on 106*. Deshpande (3/44) was the standout bowler for RR, while Theekshana (2/52) and Sandeep Sharma (1/51) also had challenging outings.
With such a commanding total, SRH has set a high bar, and Rajasthan Royals will have a monumental task ahead to chase down this massive target.