Kavya Maran-owned Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) put on a masterclass at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium on Wednesday, posting a record-breaking total of 277 for 3 wickets against Mumbai Indians (MI) in their allotted 20 overs.
Openers Travis Head (50 off 18 balls) and Abhishek Sharma (50 off 16 balls) provided their team blistering start, laying the foundation for the mammoth total. Heinrich Klaasen (80 not out off 34 balls) continued the onslaught in the middle order with some clean hitting.
Kavya Maran celebrates the wicket of Rohit Sharma
MI’s chase began brightly with both Rohit Sharma and Ishan Kishan finding boundaries early. However, their joy was short-lived as they fell within the first four overs.
Celebrations erupted in the SRH stands, most notably from their CEO Kavya Maran who was captured jumping and cheering after Rohit’s dismissal. The video of the incident has gone viral on social media.
Here’s the video:
— Shivani (@meme_ki_diwani) March 27, 2024
Soon after, the focus shifted back to the high-scoring encounter.
Also READ: Top 5 highest team totals in the IPL: SRH breaks RCB’s 11-year-old record
MI falls short of the record target
Despite a spirited batting display by Tilak Varma (64 off 34 balls) and Naman Dhir (30 off 14), who continued the momentum after the openers’ departure, MI couldn’t quite chase down the record-breaking target. They reached 246 for the loss of 5 wickets in their 20 overs, falling short by 31 runs.
While SRH bowlers had a challenging time containing the aggressive MI batting lineup, they managed to pick up crucial wickets at regular intervals. Interestingly, MI outperformed SRH in terms of six-hitting, notching 20 maximums compared to SRH’s 18. This high-scoring encounter also saw a new record set for the most sixes hit in a T20 match, with a combined total of 38 sixes being struck throughout the match.
While SRH registered their first win of IPL 2024 and cemented a place at the top in record books, MI’s fightback showcased their batting potential and sets the stage for an exciting season.
