Half-centuries from Abhishek Sharma and Ishan Kishan powered Sunrisers Hyderabad to a largely comfortable 5-wicket win over Rajasthan Royals in Jaipur. Chasing 229, Sharma-Kishan put SRH right on top, eventually sealing the win with 9 balls to spare. Earlier, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi smacked his second IPL century in a 36-ball effort, which eventually went in vain.
Abhishek-Kishan show puts SRH on top
Ishan Kishan blasted a 31-ball 74 while Abhishek Sharma overcame a couple of reprieves to score 57 off 29, powering Sunrisers Hyderabad to a stunning chase of 229 with nine balls to spare. Heinrich Klaasen (29) and Nitish Kumar Reddy (36) then added a crucial 53-run stand for the fourth wicket to seal the win.
The opening over set the tone for a dramatic contest as Dhruv Jurel dropped a straightforward chance off Jofra Archer to hand Travis Head an early life. Head struck a six soon after but Archer responded quickly, dismissing him with a catch behind. Archer also tested Kishan with a sharp 145.4 kmph delivery that deflected off the helmet for four, though the left-hander counterattacked with three boundaries in the same over.
Abhishek too benefited from sloppy fielding, being dropped twice — first by Shimron Hetmyer and then by Ravindra Jadeja. Capitalising fully, he and Kishan stitched together a blazing 132-run stand for the second wicket in just 55 balls, taking the game away as the bowlers struggled to find answers.
Sooryavanshi headlines RR batting show
Sooryavanshi produced a breathtaking assault, smashing 103 off just 37 balls to power Rajasthan Royals to 228 for six. The 15-year-old made Sunrisers Hyderabad pay dearly for dropping him on 32, going on to register his second IPL hundred and first of the season after a string of explosive fifties.
Displaying remarkable power and timing, Sooryavanshi bludgeoned 12 sixes and five fours, bringing up his century with a maximum off Sakib Hussain in just 36 deliveries — the third-fastest IPL ton after his own 35-ball effort and Chris Gayle’s iconic 30-ball hundred. He set the tone early by hammering Praful Hinge for four sixes in the opening over and raced to a 15-ball fifty, stitching together stands of 40 and 112 with Dhruv Jurel, who contributed a steady 51.
SRH’s missed chances proved costly, including a dropped catch by Aniket Reddy, allowing Sooryavanshi to continue his onslaught before falling lbw soon after reaching his hundred. Late fireworks from Donovan Ferreira (33 off 16) boosted the total, while Pat Cummins was the pick of the bowlers with 1 for 27, dismissing skipper Riyan Parag.
