Numerous records
After surpassing their previous season-high total of 277 against the Mumbai Indians, Sunrisers Hyderabad went on to record the highest-ever IPL score. In addition to hitting the most sixes in an IPL innings with 22, Travis Head became the fastest-hundred by an SRH batsman, reaching the mark in just 39 deliveries. Head had the joint-highest number of sixes of any SRH batsman in IPL history with eight. And he was in excellent company. After being promoted to the number three spot, Heinrich Klaasen only managed a 67, but that total included seven sixes.
bombardment with strikes
The SRH hitting strategy was essentially encapsulated in the sixes story above. When he came to bat, Pat Cummins made a half-hearted joke about how 240 was a par score at Chinnaswamy Stadium, but his batsmen appeared to take him seriously. Initially, Abhishek Sharma and the vivacious Head grabbed the stage with a 108-run partnership in just 49 deliveries.
Despite the bowling adjustments, Abhishek and Head matched each other’s stroke for stroke as they played with the RCB’s attack. When Klaasen arrived and Mahipal Lomror challenged him right away, the show went on. Head easily dismissed the pacers while Klaasen grabbed hold of the spinner with a couple of sixes to start his innings. During the powerplay, he had already taken out Yash Dayal and Lockie Ferguson to reach a fifty in just 20 balls. And in his third over, Will Jacks was taken out for twenty-one. With three fours off Vijaykumar Vyshak, he quickly approached his century as SRH reached 200 in just 15 overs.
No room for breathe for RCB
RCB made a number of changes before the match, starting without Glenn Maxwell and Muhammad Siraj and holding Cameron Green out. But since SRH was playing with their “A” game that evening, it didn’t lead to any change in luck. Yash Dayal’s 69 in four overs were the second most expensive spell in IPL history, and not a single bowler was spared. Jacks had the highest economy rate among all RCB bowlers at 10.70. Because there was Aiden Markram and Abdul Samad, if not Head or Klaasen. With a combined score of 56 in the final three overs, the pair propelled SRH to an IPL record-breaking height.
So it was a killer pitch?
You won’t get paid to guess that. This two-paced surface may have had a green and brown appearance, but it was actually a batting haven. No bowler could claim to have won the slower balls because they were easily picked up and placed into the stands by both ends.
Did SRH face any pressure too?
The bowlers in a batting demonstration were inevitably relegated to sideshows. Because even though RCB’s openers have historically struggled against left-arm spin, Virat Kohli and Faf du Plessis ignited the team with an explosive opening partnership that scored 80 runs in just 38 balls. The ‘hit everything’ approach was first used by Du Plessis, who had rapid success before some setbacks.
What glitches?
After bowling off a googly from Mayank Markande, bowler Jaydev Unadkat managed to divert the ball onto the stumps, leading to the highly-regarded Will Jacks being run out. This resulted in RCB losing their captain, Kohli. They were too far down after that dismissal, and they collapsed even more when Pat Cummins got Du Plessis to glove a pull before trapping Saurav Chauhan LBW on the opening ball. In addition, Cummins would induce Mahipal Lomror to chop one onto his stumps, seriously injuring RCB. However, Dinesh Karthik seemed unconcerned about that.
The DK program
Karthik held on even though it seemed like the game was getting away from RCB at 122/5 at the midway point. He carried on the hitting display that had been going on the entire evening, hitting five fours and seven sixes in his 35-ball 83 with a combination of clever footwork and shrewd angles. Although it ultimately did not stop the loss, it did spare RCB some blushes.
Brief Scores: Royal Challengers Bengaluru 262/7 in 20 overs (Dinesh Karthik 83, Faf Du Plessis 52; Pat Cummins 3-43) lost to SRH 287/3 in 20 overs (Travis Head 102, Heinrich Klaasen 67) by 26 runs.
What comes next?
After a five-day break, RCB will play the Kight Riders in Kolkata on April 21. Meanwhile, SRH will play the Capitals in Delhi on April 20.
