Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) came out all guns blazing with the bat as Travis Head and Abhishek Sharma brought house down in Hyderabad chasing down the target of 166 runs in just 9.4 overs as Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) now have suffered two heavy losses in successive games in the 2024 edition of the IPL. Sunrisers have moved up the ladder and now are in third place on the points table and the five-time champions Mumbai Indians are officially knocked out as they can reach a maximum of 12 points even if they win both their remaining games.
It was a carnage of the highest quality as Travis Head just took off and Abhishek joined him in very soon. Head smashed the joint-fastest fifty by an SRH batter off just 16 balls as he equalled his own record against the Delhi Capitals. Abhishek Sharma also has a 16-ball fifty in the game against the Mumbai Indians. As Head took down Naveen ul Haq, Abhishek went berserk against Yash Thakur as it felt like two gunmen surrounded a household and the members inside didn't have anywhere to go.
Sunrisers recorded the second-highest powerplay score by a team in the IPL, the highest of 125 is also in their name only. 107 was also the highest powerplay score by a team while chasing as SRH broke Kolkata Knight Riders' record of 105 runs. 166 is the highest-ever run-chase in 10 overs in T20 cricket as the previous best was by Brisbane Heat of 157 runs against Melbourne Stars in 2019. This was also the fastest-ever 160-plus chase in IPL history.
Fastest to chase the 160-plus target in IPL history (by overs batted)
SRH - 9.4 vs LSG @ Hyderabad, 2024
KKR - 15.2 vs SRH @ Kolkata, 2014
MI - 15.4 vs RR @ Mumbai-WS, 2014
Highest total after the first 10 overs in IPL
167/0 (9.4) SRH vs LSG Hyderabad 2024
158/4 SRH vs DC Delhi 2024
148/2 SRH vs MI Hyderabad 2024
141/2 MI vs SRH Hyderabad 2024
This was the annihilation of another level as Lucknow Super Giants had reached 107 in the 16th over, which the Sunrisers got in the powerplay itself. It seemed like someone quietly changed the pitch in mid-innings as the stark difference in the way the two teams batted, the 80-run difference between the two teams' powerplay is difficult to justify.
When Lucknow were batting it seemed like 150 would be a good score on that wicket and the way SRH batted, 200 would have been short as well. Ayush Badoni and Nicholas Pooran's unbeaten 99-run stand took Lucknow to a decent total but it did look a lot short, especially as it felt that the wicket got better as the match progressed.
Mumbai Indians have become the first team to be knocked out of the tournament and on Thursday one of RCB or Punjab Kings will join them. Till then Sunrisers are waiting for Gujarat Titans and Punjab Kings at their fortress with 14 points already in the kitty.
