In another high-scoring spectacle of IPL 2024, a staggering total of 549 runs were amassed in just 40 overs as Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) outshone Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) by 25 runs at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium on Monday, 13 April.
Facing the daunting task of chasing down the highest total ever in Indian Premier League (IPL) history, a formidable 289 runs, the home team could only muster 262/7 in 20 overs.
RCB's Highest Powerplay Total
The chase kicked off with a bang for RCB, as they surged to their highest powerplay total, amassing 79 runs without losing a wicket in the first 6 overs. Virat Kohli and Faf du Plessis set the tone with an explosive 80-run partnership off just 38 deliveries, but the momentum shifted as Kohli departed in the 7th over after a blistering 42 off 20 balls.
RCB skipper Faf du Plessis notched up 62 runs off 28 deliveries.
Image: BCCI
Will Jacks followed suit shortly after, managing only 7 runs before heading back to the pavilion in the 8th over. Rajat Patidar then fell victim to a Mayank Markande delivery, contributing 9 runs from 5 balls. Faf du Plessis, who notched up a fifty in a brisk 23 balls, eventually departed for 62 off 28 deliveries in the 10th over as Pat Cummins claimed his wicket.
Just three balls later, Saurav Chauhan joined him in the dugout, leaving RCB in a precarious position courtesy of a Cummins' delivery. The 15th over saw Mahipal Lomror's departure after a brief cameo of 19 runs as the SRH skipper nabbed this third wicket.
Karthik's Valliant Effort
Veteran batter Dinesh Karthik seized the moment, unleashing a barrage of strokes to amass a formidable 83 runs off just 35 deliveries. His innings came to an end in the penultimate over of the match, courtesy of a delivery from T Natrajan. Karthik's onslaught included a remarkable tally of seven sixes and five boundaries.
Veteran batter Dinesh Karthik scored 83 runs off 35 balls.
Image: BCCI
With 44 runs needed off the last over, Anuj Rawat and Vijaykumar Vyshak were the batters on crease. Rawat displayed a flurry of boundaries, striking four in the last over. However, despite his valiant effort, the hosts ultimately fell short of the target by 25 runs.
First Innings' Carnage
Earlier, Travis Head's maiden century, off 39 deliveries, helped Sunrisers Hyderabad post the highest-ever team total of 287/3 in IPL.
Asked to bat first on the flat Bengaluru pitch with small straight boundaries, openers Travis Head and Abhishek Sharma were off to a solid start. With Maxwell missing from their squad, RCB gave the new ball to offspinner Will Jacks to try and take it away from the left-handers, who bowled a decent over for RCB.
The powerplay concluded with Head scoring a 20-ball fifty including three fours and five sixes. SRH were 76 without loss after six overs.
Abhishek Sharma departed after scoring 34 off 22 deliveries failing to put the leg-side delivery of Topley over the boundary. Both the batters added 108 runs in mere deliveries for the visitors. Head on the other hand slammed the fastest century for Sunrisers Hyderabad in 39 deliveries, breaking David Warner’s previous record of 43 deliveries.
Head's Record-Breaking Hundred
Opening the batting for Hyderabad, Head went off to absolute carnage and reached a century in 39 deliveries with the help of nine fours and eight sixes. It was also his maiden IPL century. However, he departed after scoring 102 off 41 deliveries on Ferguson's bowling.
Head departed after scoring 102 off 41 deliveries.
Image: PTI
SRH were 171/2 after 13 overs as Aiden Markram joined his South Africa team-mate Klaasen in the middle.
RCB’s Will Jacks was taken for 32 in his three overs. RCB's pace bowlers Topley, Dayal, Ferguson, and Vyshak were belted for 137 off ten overs. Mahipal Lomror, bowling the 14th over, was smashed for 18 runs as SRH reached 189 for 2.
The 15th over ended with Heinrich Klaasen clubbing a six over the bowler Vijaykumar Vyshak's head, capitalising on a low full toss to send it bang into the sightscreen, reaching his half-century in just 23 balls.
Records Tumbled
It was a simple catch for Vyshak, and Klaasen walked back after 67 from 31 balls. Klassen and Markram added 66 in just 27 deliveries for the third wicket. Abdul Samad's late carnage of 37 in 10 deliveries helped SRH break their own record of the highest team total in IPL history after they posted a total of 287 for 3 in 20 overs.
SRH batters hammered 22 sixes in the inning, it was the most in an IPL innings. Back in 2013, Chris Gayle had cracked 17 sixes out of RCB's 21, so far the IPL record.
With inputs from IANS
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