Kishan's 106* ensures SRH ease to win in 286 plays 242

In IPL 2024, Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) took batting to dizzying heights. With Ishan Kishan's addition to an already power-packed line-up, everyone wondered if they might be the first team to hit 300 in the IPL. In their opening fixture of IPL 2025, they seriously threatened to get there, thanks to Kishan's 45-ball hundred on franchise debut and Travishek's opening salvo. They eventually fell 14 short of 300, and just two short of breaking the IPL record they had set last season, but it was another emphatic statement of their high intent and power.

Kishan is an upgrade over their previous No. 3 Rahul Tripathi. He seamlessly slotted into SRH's line-up, clattering an unbeaten 106 off 47 balls, his first IPL ton. After Travis Head and Abhishek Sharma had helped SRH take 94 in the first six overs, the fifth-highest powerplay total, Kishan launched from there.

Rajasthan Royals (RR) made a decent fist of the chase, with Sanju Samson and Dhruv Jurel matching the intent and power of SRH's batters with half-centuries. Late blows from Shimron Hetmyer, the only overseas batter in RR's squad, contributed to a match aggregate of 528, the second highest in the IPL, but such a mammoth target was always going to unchaseable.

An easy-paced flat Hyderabad pitch and wayward bowling from RR's attack were the perfect ingredients for another Travishek special. After playing out two dots from Fazalhaq Farooqi, Abhishek started the mayhem when he whipped him past mid-on and flayed him over extra-cover for fours off the next two balls.

Maheesh Theekshana, who was picked ahead of Wanindu Hasaranga, his Sri Lanka senior, had an inauspicious start, bowling a front-foot no-ball and an off-side wide before Head crashed him for a four and six.

The unfettered assault forced RR into doing death bowling from the powerplay onwards. When Theekshana dug one into the track and hid it away from the reach of Abhishek in his fourth over, he drew a mis-hit to point to cut the opening partnership short at 45 off 19 balls.

Six of the first 13 balls Kishan had faced went to the boundary or cleared it. That sequence had 'SRH' written all over it.

Like Head, Kishan often stayed leg-side of the ball and looked to launch it into orbit. Theekshana's mystery spin, Jofra Archer's pace, Tushar Deshpande's change-ups - nothing fazed him.

Archer had a nightmarish return to the IPL, coming away with 4-0-76-0, the most expensive spell ever in the league. Head had clubbed him for four fours and a six in his first over, which cost 23, and his evening only got worse.

Deshpande, however, had a better day, striking in his first over back from injury to have Head hole out for 67 off 31 balls.

Kishan then took charge of the innings and brought up his fifty off 25 balls. He got to the landmark by manufacturing swinging room and carting Archer over extra-cover for six. Kishan then surged to his hundred off 47 balls and announced himself at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium in Uppal. He walked back to the dugout, raising his bat to every corner of his new home.

RR had a shaky start, losing Yashasvi Jaiswal and their captain Riyan Parag in the first two overs of their chase. Simarjeet Singh's hit-the-deck hustle had accounted for both batters. Then, when Mohammed Shami got rid of Nitish Rana for 11 off eight balls, RR were 50 for 3 in the fifth over.

Samson, who was recuperating from a finger injury and came in as their Impact Player, dovetailed beautifully with Jurel in a 111-run stand off 59 balls. Samson showed no apparent signs of discomfort when he launched four sixes, including a hooked hit off Shami, which had kickstarted his innings.

As for Jurel, he was more brutal on the seamers and kept hitting over the top. By bowling the spinners and Cummins through the middle overs, SRH managed to backload Harshal Patel's overs. Harshal bested Samson with a slower bouncer in the 14th and in the next over Adam Zampa, SRH's Impact Player, had Jurel caught at long-on for 70 off 35 balls. SRH wrapped up an NRR-boosting win and put their rivals on notice.