His unbeaten ton powers SRH to a 44-run win over RR
Hyderabad: Ishan Kishan’s blitzkrieg trumped the heroic efforts from Sanju Samson and Dhruv Jurel as Sunrisers Hyderabad buried Rajasthan Royals under a deluge of runs to start its IPL 2025 campaign in style with a 44-run win here on Sunday. After Travis Head teed off with a 31-ball-67 adding 94 for the opening stand with Abhishek Sharma, Kishan (106 not out off 47 balls) smashed a 45-ball-100 in his first appearance for the new franchise as Sunrisers Hyderabad scored 286 for 6, their second highest total in the history of IPL.
But Royals were never in hunt as they finally managed 242 for 6 in their 20 overs and their effort will certainly help their net run-rate.
Despite a valiant effort from Samson (66 off 37 balls) and Jurel (70 off 35 balls), who added 111 in just 9.5 overs, Royals fell short as the match turned decisively in the 11th and 12th overs. Adam Zampa and Pat Cummins conceded only seven runs cumulatively in those two overs, shifting momentum firmly in SRH’s favour. The pressure increased when Harshal Patel (2/34) dismissed Samson, followed by Jurel falling to Zampa, effectively sealing the game.
Shimron Hetmyer (42 off 23) and Shubham Dubey (34 not out off 11) tried to fight back, but the target proved insurmountable.
SRH’s innings was built on the foundation laid by Head and Kishan, who struck 20 fours and nine sixes between them. Heinrich Klaasen (34 off 14) provided the finishing touch.
For Royals, Jofra Archer endured a nightmare, leaking 76 runs in four overs—the most expensive figures in IPL history. Fazalhaq Farooqi (0/49 in 3), Sandeep Sharma (1/51 in 4), and Maheesh Theekshana (2/52 in 4) struggled on the batting paradise, while only Tushar Deshpande (3/44 in 4) returned respectable figures.
