Ishan Kishan celebrated his debut for Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) by hitting his maiden IPL century, off just 45 balls, to help his side post 286 for 6 in their IPL 2025 opener against Rajasthan Royals (RR) at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium in Uppal. Ishan Kishan came into bat at No. 3 on the back of a 45-run opening stand off just 3.1 overs.
Ishan Kishan was involved in two big partnerships – 85 (off 38 balls) with Travis Head and 72 (off 29 balls) with Nitish Reddy as SRH fell one short of the all-time IPL record which they set last year. They now have four of the five top totals in the IPL. Ishan Kishan, who was bought for INR 11.25 crore at the auction, credited Pat Cummins for giving him and the entire team “a lot of freedom” to play a fearless and ultra-aggressive brand of cricket that head coach Daniel Vettori said they’ll continue to exhibit.
Sunrisers Hyderabad showcased their batting might once again with new addition Ishan Kishan marking his presence with his maiden IPL hundred. It helped them amass a massive 286 – the second-highest IPL total ever – which proved to be too much for Rajasthan Royals, who put up a brave front in the chase but still fell short by 44 runs.
Ishan Kishan spoke of drawing confidence from the way Abhishek Sharma and Head started and underlined their plans of targeting RR’s key bowlers straightaway. He finished unbeaten on 106 off just 47 balls – his century is the third-fastest for SRH, behind Travis Head (41 balls) and David Warner (43 balls).
Pitch Report and Toss
Pitch Report : “Dimensions – 63m and 70m square boundaries, 76m straight down the ground. 205 is the average score here and on this particular pitch, the average is 216. The only way to describe it is batting paradise. It’s an absolute belter once again and has been for a long period of time. The only thing and I am clutching at straws, both ends it looks a little bit dry, there’s a tiny bit more grass in the middle of the wicket compared to the ends.
I am hoping for a little bit of two-pace, a little bit of spin, so it’s not an absolute belter. This heat, this pitch, you want to be a batsman. If you bat first here, you gotta be looking above 200 and then you look to defend. In a 20-over game, it’s very hard to see the pitch deteriorate but you hope it does. Maybe a bit of change of pace, maybe a little bit more spin bowling second. High-scoring that’s all we can say.” reckons Mpumelelo Mbangwa and Michael Clarke
Toss : Rajasthan Royals skipper Riyan Parag won the toss and chose to bowl with three overseas bowlers in their Playing XI. Sunrisers Hyderabad skipper Pat Cummins batting first didnt mind about the toss as he was happy bowling second not in the sunlight.
Ishan Kishan’s 106 runs propels Sunrisers Hyderabad to 286 for 6 in 20 overs in an maniac run fest by SRH batters
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.
Sunrisers Hyderabad have made a name for bossing the PowerPlay right through the previous season where they twice went past 100 in this phase. Travis Head and Abhishek Sharma were at it once again today once Rajasthan Royals opted to bowl. They had started with some experienced heads in their overseas specialists.
But all of Fazalhaq Farooqi, Maheesh Theekshana and Jofra Archer were shown no mercy whatsoever. Every attempt was to hit a boundary inside the PowerPlay and most of it came off. Sharma fell showing similar intent slapping a short ball from Theekshana to cover but Head continued from where they had left off, as did Ishan Kishan. The resultant score of 94 on a flat Hyderabad pitch was mind-boggling but not surprising given the intent shown every ball.
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.
While Head brought up his fifty off just 21 balls, SRH simply moved from strength to strength. Ishan Kishan, making his debut for SRH, fitted right into the role as a middle-order enforcer. Head raced away to 67 off 31 before he was out hitting Tushar Deshpande to mid-off. But Nitish Reddy and Kishan continued the onslaught, albeit in relatively slow fashion.
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.
SRH still managed to got at over 10 an over but it still was slower than how they had started off. Ishan was brutal against Jofra Archer, hitting him for three sixes in an over and brought up an electric half-century in the process. The 72-run stand with Reddy, coming in just 29 balls, ended when the right-hander holed out to deep mid-wicket. Nevertheless, SRH had a neat base set up getting to 208 by the 15th over mark.
Six of the first 13 balls Ishan Kishan had faced went to the boundary or cleared it. That sequence had ‘SRH’ written all over it. Like Head, Ishan 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.
Ishan Kishan then took charge of the innings and brought up his fifty off 25 balls. Ishan Kishan got to the landmark by manufacturing swinging room and carting Archer over extra-cover for six. Ishan 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.
They fell just one run short of equalling their own record of 287 in the IPL, but SRH nevertheless made a statement and a half with a mammoth total in their opening game of the season. Making a statement of his own was Ishan Kishan who brought up his century in style. Archer ended up with the most expensive figures in IPL history conceding 76 in his four overs as SRH ended with a flourish.
It was the fourth time that SRH went past the 250-run mark in IPL history and all of it has come in just the last two seasons. It also underscored a rather sorry state of attack that the Royals brought in with no bowler able to exert any pressure whatsoever on the opposition.
Sanju Samson’s and Dhruv Jurel’s blistering cameos in vain as RR got restricted to 242 for 6 in 20 overs resulting in an 44 runs loss to SRH.
Like SRH, Rajasthan too had no choice but to come out swinging from ball one, which they did. But unlike SRH, their intent was met with some despair at the front-end. Yashasvi Jaiswal and Riyan Parag both fell trying to force the pace against a sharp Simarjeet Singh in the second over.
Similarly Nitish Rana got a leading edge off Mohammed Shami leaving RR three down inside the PowerPlay. However, that did not bring down the intent of Sanju Samson or Dhruv Jurel. The former played some impressive strokes through the offside against Shami while Jurel launched a stunning onslaught to welcome Pat Cummins into the attack. The final over of the PowerPlay, bowled by Cummins, went for 20 with Jurel accounting for 19 of those impressing with the timing he showcased.
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.
What looked like a chase spiralling down suddenly took an upward turn as both Samson and Jurel kept the strokeplay coming in the middle overs as well. Jurel upped the ante with three sixes off Simarjeet which also brought up a 28-ball fifty for him. Samson had already got his off just 26 balls a little while earlier.
The duo shared a 111-run stand which turned the tide once again and even raising Rajasthan’s hopes a trifle through the middle overs. But just as they were readying to take it into the end, both fell in quick succession. Samson top-edged a loft off Harshal while Jurel holed out in the deep denting the chase back once again.
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.
With some momentum robbed losing both set batters, Rajasthan were always going to be up against it. But the batters that followed also never stepped off from the accelerator. Shubham Dubey and Shimron Hetmyer helped Rajasthan coast past the 200-run mark. They put on 80 in quick time before Hetmyer was dismissed in the final over.
With the Net Run-Rate always a huge factor in qualification, the runs at the back-end might not have been enough for RR to get over the line today but they’d be hopeful that they can build on the confidence gained from their batting show even as the bowling had been a let-down.
SRH’s consistency in hitting ability right through simply outshone Rajasthan Royals in the end. While RR too made a valiant effort with the bat in getting to 242 in chase of a mammoth 286, they kept losing wickets at regular intervals which ultimately proved to be a momentum-breaker. Unlike SRH they lacked a decisive and high partnership upfront and were left to play catch-up in an already daunting chase right through.
Presentations and Road Ahead
Riyan Parag the losing RR skipper said : It was tough, just like I expected. Credit to SRH but we could have executed better. Will have a sit down and chat about what we could have done better. (On choosing to bowl first) I feel collectively we took that decision, it was the right decision but it was about executing better.
You’d mind if 280 is on the board, at the toss I said 200 was what I expected but 220-240 would have been a good score to chase down. Quite a few positives, the way Dhruv and Sanju batted was brilliant. And then Hettie and Shivam as well later on. Tushar bowled really well, Sandy paaji did well. A win or a less, we take the learnings and then we forget.
Pat Cummins the winning SRH skipper said : I wouldn’t be wanting to bowl to our boys. Unbelievable. That was scary. You know it’s going to be tough (for the bowlers) but when you have such a big score, one over can really win you the game for a bowling side. You’re gonna go for runs but it’s about backing up that next over, fresh start and then you can make the difference. We have been able to keep the core of the side together.
We lost a couple of guys but really happy with who we replaced them with, Ishan today was incredible. Just trying to play with freedom and keep enjoying it. The preparation has been amazing, our coaches have been fantastic, they’ve been here for 3-4 weeks. Everyone’s come really fit, firing and we just encourage them to play with freedom. It’s easier said than done but the boys created a blueprint for how to play for the rest of the year.
Ishan Kishan Player of the Match for his 106 runs said : (On playing his first game for SRH) To be very honest, the nervousness was there. I won’t deny that. But looking at the squad and looking at the team, especially Pat and the coach, they gave a lot of confidence before the game. The environment is so calm and composed, you know you just have to go in and believe in yourself like what’s supposed to be done at that point of time. I just enjoyed my time in the middle.
(Preparation) I got a lot of time in between, I was practising very hard, worked on my batting also. Overall, the preparation was very good. I am feeling confident. You can see Abhishek Sharma and Head going in and playing that sort of a game. Ultimately, you are No. 3 and you get the confidence. Just go in there and you get enough time to take a few balls because Head is not going to stop, Abhishek is never going to stop.
Either you are batting way too early in the innings or you’re batting at a point where already there are a lot of runs on the board. It’s very difficult to get that sort of a total in each and every game. Like I said, Pat, he knows what’s there for the team and the coach is also talking about the same thing – ‘you have to go in and enjoy whatever your game-play is. You have to plan accordingly, just play your game and don’t be in a fear of getting out.’
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 Ishan 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.
Ishan 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, Ishan 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 unchasable.
SRH kick off their campaign with an authoritative win. No real surprise with the bat. Abhishek Sharma wasted little time to get going. His partner-in-crime at the top of the order – Travis Head – joined the party to score a brisk fifty. Ishan Kishan – on SRH debut – another left-hander came in at three and batted with the same tempo to notch up a marvellous century.
NKR and Klaasen made handy contributions as well. SRH’s top-five batters had a strike-rate in excess of 200 and the hosts ended up posting the second highest IPL total on the board – 286 – not too far away from 300!
In reply, RR had no choice but to come out all guns blazing. Simarjeet Singh nipped out Jaiswal and Parag cheaply in his first over. His new ball partner – Shami – accounted for Nitish Rana which resulted in the Royals losing three wickets in the powerplay.
That’s when Sanju Samson – RR’s Impact Player – was joined by Dhruv Jurel. The duo put on a fight and stitched a brilliant hundred partnership with both of them registering fifties. They were removed in quick succession but Hetmyer and Shubham Dubey showed their hitting prowess to reduce the margin of defeat. SRH have won each of the last four H2H contests against RR. At home, the SRH have won five of their six clashes against RR.
528 runs in 40 overs – the word run-fest seems to be an understatement to describe it. Hardly anything on offer for the bowlers and Jofra Archer’s 0/76 is now the most expensive spell in IPL. The highlights will be full of fours and sixes. So, what was the difference between the two sides. Perhaps, SRH used their variations better and their fielding was significantly sharper. Credit to the Royals for putting up a fight with the bat. It’s still early days and SRH have already showed what their blueprint is going to be this season. They are certainly eyeing 300.
Rajasthan Royals will travel to Guwahati to host Kolkata Knight Riders on March 26 while Sunrisers Hyderabad host Lucknow Super Giants on the following day.
Also Read: SRH vs RR: Ishan Kishan’s Brainstorming Ton Demolishes RR