Hyderabad, Mar 23 (UNI) Ishan Kishan lit up the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium with a breathtaking century as Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) piled up a colossal 286 for six in their allotted 20 overs against Rajasthan Royals (RR) in the second match of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 on Sunday.
The wicketkeeper-batsman was the standout performer, hammering an unbeaten 106 off just 47 balls, laced with 11 fours and 6 sixes at a staggering strike rate of 225.53.
Kishan reached his century in the final over, drilling a fuller ball and sprinting for two, marking a sensational debut ton for SRH.
Kishan anchored the innings after a blistering start provided by Travis Head, who smashed 67 off 31 balls with 9 fours and 2 sixes. Abhishek Sharma (24 off 11) set the tone early but was dismissed by Maheesh Theekshana, caught by Yashasvi Jaiswal.
Head then combined with Kishan to accelerate the scoring before falling to Tushar Deshpande in the 10th over. Nitish Kumar Reddy contributed a steady 30 off 15, while Heinrich Klaasen (34 off 14) played a quickfire knock, including a flurry of boundaries and a six, before being dismissed by Sandeep Sharma.
The Rajasthan Royals bowlers struggled to contain the onslaught, with Fazalhaq Farooqi (0/49 in 3 overs) and Jofra Archer (0/76 in 4 overs) proving expensive. Archer’s spell turned out to be the most expensive in IPL history. Theekshana (2/52) and Tushar Deshpande (3/44) were the only wicket-takers of note, while Sandeep Sharma (1/51) also got a breakthrough.
Klaasen was particularly brutal in the death overs, smashing Archer for consecutive fours in the 17th over, including a slap over extra cover and an edge past third man. Kishan, too, was relentless, lofting a six over deep point to reach his fifty in the 12th over before later launching a short ball over fine leg to move into the 90s.
Reddy also joined the big-hitting spree, pulling a short ball from Farooqi over deep square for a massive six in the 13th over, while Kishan repeatedly carved boundaries off Theekshana and Archer, making the MA Chidambaram surface look like a batting paradise.
Extras played a significant role, with RR conceding 18 runs, including 10 wides and three no-balls. A high full toss from Archer resulted in a byes boundary, further adding to RR’s woes.
Hyderabad’s innings featured a strong finish despite losing quick wickets in the death overs, with Pat Cummins remaining unbeaten without scoring. Rajasthan will now need to chase a daunting target of 287 to register their first win of the season.
