IPL 2025: Emphatic 44-run win for Sunrisers Hyderabad against Rajasthan Royals

Rajasthan Royals’ stand-in skipper Riyan Parag, facing a trial by fire in his first match as captain, won the toss and opted to bowl against Sunrisers Hyderabad.

“The pitch looks a little dry,” Parag said after the toss. “I started here when I was 17 years old.”

Meanwhile, Australian captain Pat Cummins returns to action, leading the Hyderabad outfit once again.

Teams

Rajasthan Royals

Yashasvi Jaiswal, Shubham Dubey, Nitish Rana, Riyan Parag (captain), Dhruv Jurel (wk), Shimron Hetmyer, Jofra ArcherMaheesh Theekshana, Tushar Deshpande, Sandeep Sharma, Fazalhaq Farooqi. Impact subs: Sanju Samson, Maphaka, Rathore, Madhwal and Kartikeya.

Sunrisers Hyderabad

Travis Head, Abhishek Sharma, Ishan Kishan (wk), Nitish Kumar Reddy, Heinrich Klaasen, Aniket Verma, Abhinav Manohar, Pat Cummins (captain), Simarjeet Singh, Harshal Patel, Mohammed Shami. Impact subs: Sachin Baby, Jaydev Unadkat, Ansari, Adam Zampa and Mulder.

There is no respite for Rajasthan Royals’ bowlers as Sunrisers Hyderabad’s powerful batting lineup continues to dominate. After opener Abhishek Sharma’s aggressive start, Australian Travis Head has seamlessly taken over the role of aggressor. In partnership with Ishan Kishan, Hyderabad have raced to 94 for one.

Head is blazing away on 46 off just 18 balls, while Kishan has chipped in with a quickfire 20 off 9.

Travis Head has departed after inflicting severe damage on the Royals, but Sunrisers Hyderabad remain in full control. The left-hander smashed 67 off 31 balls before falling, yet the hosts have raced to 135 for two at the halfway stage.

Ishan Kishan is steady on 33, while Indian all-rounder Nitish Kumar Reddy has the freedom to unleash his trademark big shots.

Ishan Kishan has shifted into overdrive, racing toward his first half-century for Sunrisers Hyderabad. While little has gone Rajasthan Royals’ way apart from winning the toss, Kishan has propelled the hosts to 208 for three in 15 overs. The left-hander remains unbeaten on 75, while Nitish Kumar Reddy made his mark with a quickfire 30 off 15 balls before falling against the run of play. With the stage set, Heinrich Klaasen is primed to unleash his big shots.

Ishan Kishan’s career was teetering on the brink. After battling depression and withdrawing from India’s Test squad due to mental fatigue and family commitments, he lost his place in the national team. Since then, Abhishek Sharma and Sanju Samson have cemented their spots in India’s Twenty20 setup, leaving Kishan on the sidelines.

Not retained by Mumbai Indians, he found a fresh start with Sunrisers Hyderabad, who picked him up in the 2024 auction in Jeddah. The move has reignited his career, and on the day, he made it count—blazing his way to a maiden IPL century. His unbeaten 106 anchored Hyderabad’s mammoth total of 286 for six, just one run short of their own IPL record.

Kishan’s knock came on the back of a flying start from the Hyderabad openers, while Rajasthan endured a night where nothing seemed to go their way, with several chances slipping just out of reach.

Now, the Royals need a strong start to keep their chase alive.

Rajasthan Royals are struggling to build the momentum needed to chase down the mammoth target and are staring at a heavy defeat. They have stumbled to 82 for three in seven overs.

Sanju Samson, brought in as an impact substitute for Fazalhaq Farooqi, is holding fort on 34, with Dhruv Jurel keeping him company on 26. This partnership is the key.

Sanju Samson and Dhruv Jurel have struck half-centuries at a brisk pace, but their efforts still fall short of the steep required run rate, which hovers around 19 runs per over. Nevertheless, their century partnership—Samson on 59 (33 balls) and Jurel on 68 (31 balls)—offers a glimmer of hope. After 13 overs, Rajasthan are 151 for three, still needing 136 runs from just 42 balls.

Sunrisers Hyderabad made their intentions clear with an emphatic 44-run victory over Rajasthan Royals in the first match of the double-header in Hyderabad on Sunday.

Out-of-favour Ishan Kishan’s maiden IPL century propelled the hosts to a commanding 286 for six, just one run shy of their IPL record. In response, Rajasthan Royals never got the right start, and although Sanju Samson, who came in as an impact substitute, and Dhruv Jurel put together a rapid 111-run partnership for the fourth wicket, it wasn’t enough.

The required run-rate soared close to 20, and the quick dismissal of Samson and Jurel made the chase even more difficult for Rajasthan.

West Indian Shimron Hetmyer and Shubman Dubey fought to keep the Royals in the game, aiming to reduce the impact on their net run-rate, which could become crucial as the season progresses.

Kishan, who was not retained by Mumbai Indians, justified Sunrisers' faith in him with an unbeaten 106, following a stunning start from Hyderabad’s openers. Contributions came from all the batters, who scored at a strike rate of over 200, relentlessly attacking the Rajasthan bowlers, who were missing key players like Trent Boult, Yuzvendra Chahal, and Ravichandran Ashwin.