Record-breaking win
Hyderabad beat Mumbai after highest-ever IPL total
SUNRISERS HYDERABAD posted 277-3 for the highest-ever Indian Premier League total and went on to beat Mumbai Indians by 31 runs in a six-hitting festival yesterday.
Australia’s Travis Head made a 24-ball 62 and Abhishek Sharma, inspired by talking to West Indies legend Brian Lara, smashed 63 after Hyderabad batted first and went past the previous IPL best of 263-5 by Royal Challengers Bengaluru in 2013.
It rained boundaries in Hyderabad’s innings with 18 sixes and 19 fours as the South African pair of Heinrich Klaasen (80 not out in 34 balls) and Aiden Markram, who hit 42, posted an unbeaten stand of 116.
“Head is one of my favourite batters, I really admire his batting. Had a great time with him,” said Abhishek.
Mumbai replied strongly in the match which witnessed 38 sixes for another IPL record, bettering the 33 hits over the fence clubbed three times in earlier seasons.
“The wicket was good but, no matter how good or bad you bowl, if the opposition get 277 that means they batted very well,” Mumbai skipper Hardik Pandya said.
He added: “The bowlers were good. It was tough out there. Close to 500 runs were scored so the wicket was helping the batters.”
Left-handed Tilak Varma stood out with his 64 in 34 balls for Mumbai but the effort was not enough on a batting-friendly pitch in veteran batsman Rohit Sharma’s 200th IPL match.
Rohit smashed a 12-ball 26 and fellow opener Ishan Kishan made 34 to give Mumbai a flying start but the innings lost momentum after 10 overs due to the ever-increasing asking rate.
Tim David smashed an unbeaten 42 in a late charge but the chase was beyond reach as Mumbai ended on 246-5 – the team’s highest IPL total.
It was records galore as the match also featured the highest run aggregate of 523 runs in 17 years of the IPL.
Hyderabad skipper Pat Cummins was the best of the bowlers with 2-35 in his four overs of pace, leading his side to their first win of the season and said “it was an amazing game”.