In a breathtaking display of cricket, Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) nearly missed twice in less than three weeks after surpassing a 270-plus score, but managed to clinch victories on both occasions in the 2024 edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL). The latest, a nail-biting thriller against Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB), ended in SRH setting and defending an unprecedented IPL total of 287 runs at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium.
SRH set a monumental target of 288, created through a whirlwind innings, making it the highest team total in the IPL’s history. This mammoth run chase initiated what turned into a historic match, concluding with a staggering 549 runs scored altogether between the two teams—the highest match aggregate recorded in IPL history.
The chase began with RCB’s dynamic duo, Faf du Plessis and Virat Kohli, who fired all cylinders from the very first ball, driving their team to a promising 79 runs in the powerplay. Despite their efforts being better than SRH’s initial burst, the high chase demanded maintaining an overwhelming run rate of around 15, a pursuit that began showing cracks shortly after.
Mayank Markande’s tight over that conceded only five runs, coupled with a crucial wicket, sparked the initial slowdown for RCB. What followed was the loss of crucial batsman Will Jacks, which significantly dented the middle order, sending ripples through the team’s batting lineup. Du Plessis pressed on, reaching his fifty, but the escalating required rate and the lack of support began to seal RCB’s fate.
RCB’s innings seemed doomed, but the drama was far from over. Dinesh Karthik, coming in at a challenging junction, launched a fierce counterattack, smashing a breathtaking 83 off just 35 balls. Alongside Mahipal Lomror and Anuj Rawat, Karthik ignited a flicker of hope with their late onslaught, albeit the required run rate had soared to a near-impossible 19.
Against this backdrop, Pat Cummins emerged as the hero for SRH, taking crucial wickets including that of the well-set du Plessis and Saurav Chauhan, which tilted the game irreversibly in SRH’s favor. Despite RCB’s aggressive pursuit, SRH stood firm, maintaining control and eventually clinching the game by 25 runs, solidifying their spot in the top four of the standings.
Earlier in the day, the stage was set by Travis Head’s explosive maiden T20 century, marked as the fastest hundred by any Sunrisers Hyderabad player and the fourth quickest in IPL history. His spectacular 39-ball century laid a solid foundation, driving his team to an early dominance before Heinrich Klaasen and Abdul Samad further amplified the score, pushing SRH to the top of the scoreboard and etching the match into the records for the highest total and match aggregate in IPL history.
This exhilarating encounter, adorned with record-breaking performances and nerve-wracking moments, not only demonstrated the prowess and potential of modern T20 cricket but also confirmed Sunrisers Hyderabad’s formidable resilience and strategic superiority in critical high-scoring matches. As the IPL progresses, matches of such intensity and spectacle promise a thrilling and unpredictable season ahead.