Sunrisers Hyderabad and Mumbai Indians put up a feast that the former won by 31 runs in a match that may rival any in terms of overall hitting pedigree. In all, forty overs saw 38 sixes—the most in a Twenty20 match—and 523 runs—also the most in a Twenty20 match—scored in a battle that will live in the annals of history at Hyderabad.
What happened there?
There's mayhem everywhere, a party ruined, and numerous records shattered.
Travis Head, who replaced Marco Jansen at the top of the order, got things started by smashing an 18-ball fifty inside the powerplay. For SRH, it was the fastest-fifty in IPL history. Head was harsh on anything short of a length and got plenty of it because Mumbai Indians made mistakes a lot. When SRH began to write their name in the record books, the powerplay went for 81 runs.
Abhishek overtakes Head
Abhishek Sharma was even more brutal against the bowlers that followed Head, who was vicious against the pacers up front. He would target Piyush Chawla first, and then Kwen Maphaka, a 17-year-old rookie who was struck for 20 in one over. Despite finishing with unimpressive numbers of 0/66 in his four overs, the youthful player could find solace in the knowledge that none of the more experienced bowlers were spared either. Abhishek's blitz was so intense that, in just 16 balls, he broke Head's record for the fastest fifty for the SRH in the IPL. At the midway point of the IPL, SRH's 148 was the highest total ever by any team after 10 overs.
Markram and Klaasen break more records
Even though SRH amassed 173 runs in just 12 overs, Mumbai Indians managed to contain Jasprit Bumrah. Before then, Bumrah had only bowled one over, so they were hoping to pair him more effectively with Heinrich Klaasen in the later stages of the game. Bumrah went for 'just' nine an over, so it sort of worked. Even though he stood out on a flat batting beauty, it meant that the other bowlers had nowhere to run to. As he broke away, the in-form Klaasen spared no pacers and ended the innings with a 21-run over off the bowl of spinner Shams Mulani. In a 116-run partnership with Aiden Markram, Klaasen stayed undefeated at 80. SRH had achieved their highest-ever franchise T20 score of 277 with that.
Following the highest-ever IPL total scored by SRH, Mumbai Indians put up a strong chase.
Openers set the mood
In just 3.2 overs, Ishan Kishan and Rohit Sharma combined for 56 runs, giving the Mumbai Indians the ideal foundation for their attempt at victory. Kishan fell to Shahbaz Ahmed after hitting two fours and four sixes in his 13 balls. When Sharma faced Pat Cummins, he flicked him for a six but fell off the next ball, giving SRH an advantage.
Tilak Varma leads the way
Tilak Varma took it upon himself to maintain the tempo during the middle overs. In just 37 balls, he added 84 with a fluent Naman Dhir. That collaboration rekindled the chase as the Mumbai Indians began to provide SRH considerable consideration.
A chase that fizzles out
The track started to favor the bowlers who were able to slow down the pace of the ball as the innings went on. Cummins and Jaydev Unadkat took full advantage of this. The chase was still on, with MI needing 68 in the final three overs and a well-positioned Tim David still standing beside Hqrdik Pandya. But by picking up the tempo, the speed duo overcame them to deliver SRH an unforgettable victory.
Brief Scores: Sunrisers Hyderabad 277/3 (Heinrich Klaasen 80*, Abhishek Sharma 63, Travis Head 62) beat Mumbai Indians 246/5 (Tilak Varma 64, Tim David 42*) by 31
