Hyderabad: Wicketkeeper-batter Ishan Kishan hammered an unbeaten 106 off 47 balls as Sunrisers Hyderabad cruised to 286/6 in 20 overs against Rajasthan Royals in the second match of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 season at Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium here on Sunday. It was also the second-highest team total in IPL history, one run short of SRH’s total against Royal Challengers Bengaluru in the 2024 season.
Banking on the knocks of Travis Head and Abhishek Sharma, Kishan was on cruise control mode since the start of his innings and gave a thumping reply to his critics. After being invited to bat first, SRH openers started from where they left last season as Abhishek commenced an assault on the RR attack in the power-play. The Indian opener got off the mark with consecutive fours against Fazalhaq Farooqi in the first over of the match.
Head from the other end hammered four and a six against Maheesh Theekshana in the second over to give a blistering start to the side. Abhishek unleashed his full potential when he struck three successive fours before Head winded Farooqi’s over with a six to accumulate 21 runs from it.
Meanwhile, Theekshana broke the opening partnership and dismissed Abhishek for 11-ball 24 on the first ball of the fourth over. Ishan Kishan joined Head in the middle and carried the momentum as he smashed consecutive fours off Theekshana in the same over.
In the fifth over, Head gave an unforgettable welcome to Jofra Archer as the Australian amassed four fours and a six off six deliveries to gather 23 off it. With 16 from the sixth over, SRH accumulated 94 in the power-play to lay a solid foundation for the gigantic total.
Despite the end-of-field restrictions, Head completed his first half-century of the season in 21 balls and stitched an 85-run quickfire partnership off 39 balls for the second wicket. He was dismissed by pacer Tushar Deshpande in the 10th over. Head scored 31-ball 67 laced with nine fours and three sixes. Nitish Kumar Reddy came in at No. 4 and took over from where his predecessor left and struck two boundaries off Archer in the 11th over.
On the other hand, Kishan slammed back-to-back sixes off Archer to complete his half-century in 25 balls on his SRH debut. He hit another six in the other before smashing Farooqi for a six behind square. Reddy too joined the party and dispatched the short ball to deep square before Kishan hit four on the final ball of the over.
Nitish’s (15-ball 30) stay was cut short by Theekshana in the 15th over as SRH crossed the 200-run mark. He was involved in a 29-ball 72 stand with Kishan. It was also the joint-fastest team 200 in the history of the IPL, equalling Royal Challengers Bengaluru’s feat against Punjab Kings in 2016.
Heinrich Klaasen joined Kishan as the scoring rate didn’t come down for the franchise in the final phase of the innings with the help of regular boundaries. The duo added a 56-run stand in just 25 balls as Klaasen departed after contributing 14-ball 34 with the help of five fours and a six. Meanwhile, Kishan completed his century off 45 balls to become the first player in the season to reach the milestone. He remained unbeaten on 106 off 47 balls studded with 11 fours and six sixes.
For Rajasthan, Deshpande bagged three wickets while Theekshana returned with the figures of 2-52 in his four overs.
Brief scores:
Sunrisers Hyderabad 286/6 in 20 overs (Ishan Kishan 106 not out, Travis Head 67; Tushar Deshpande 3-44, Maheesh Theekshana 2-52) against Rajasthan Royals.
(IANS)
