Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) made a spectacular start to their IPL 2025 campaign, defeating Rajasthan Royals by 44 runs in the tournament's second match. In a high-scoring encounter at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium, SRH, batting first, posted a massive 286 runs, the second-highest ever score in IPL history. In response, Rajasthan Royals managed only 242 runs in their 20 overs.
Ishan Kishan's Debut IPL Century
Rajasthan Royals captain, Ryan Parag, won the toss and opted to bowl first, a decision that proved to be a misjudgment against SRH's explosive batsmen. Ishan Kishan smashed a breathtaking century on his debut, scoring an unbeaten 106 off 45 balls, including 11 fours and 6 sixes. This was also Kishan's maiden IPL century.
Furthermore, Travis Head contributed a blazing 67 off 31 balls, while Heinrich Klaasen (34 runs, 14 balls), Nitish Reddy (30 runs, 15 balls), and Ankit Verma (7 runs) also made useful contributions. For Rajasthan, Tushar Deshpande was the pick of the bowlers, taking three wickets, while Mahesh Theekshana claimed two and Sandeep Sharma one. Jofra Archer had a disastrous day, conceding 76 runs in his four overs.
Rajasthan Batsmen's Valiant Effort
Chasing a large target, Rajasthan Royals received early setbacks. The loss of Yashasvi Jaiswal (1) and captain Ryan Parag (4) in the second over put them on the back foot. Sanju Samson (68 runs, 40 balls) and Dhruv Jurel (57 runs, 35 balls) then staged a magnificent recovery, forging an 111-run partnership for the fourth wicket. However, their dismissals triggered another collapse in the Rajasthan innings.
Shimron Hetmyer (42 runs, 23 balls) and Shubham Dubey (34 runs, 11 balls) accelerated in the final overs, but their efforts were insufficient to secure victory. Effective bowling from Bhuvneshwar Kumar, T Natarajan, and Washington Sundar for SRH restricted Rajasthan, leading to a 44-run defeat. Sunrisers Hyderabad's resounding victory marks a b start to their campaign, and they will aim to continue their aggressive batting in upcoming matches. Rajasthan Royals, on the other hand, need to address their bowling, particularly in the death overs, where they leaked considerable runs.
