Mar 23, 2025

Sunrisers Hyderabad vs Rajasthan Royals | Match 2 report - IPL 2025

SRH Light Up Hyderabad with Record-Breaking Batting Display Against RR!

Get ready for a run-fest! The second match of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025, held on March 23, 2025, at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium in Hyderabad, was an absolute spectacle of power-hitting. Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) clinched a decisive 44-run victory over Rajasthan Royals (RR).

A mind-blowing 528 runs were scored in total across the 40 overs! SRH, batting first, put up a massive 286/6. In reply, Rajasthan Royals fought hard but managed 242/6.

The star of the show? Ishan Kishan (SRH), who was deservedly named Player of the Match. In his debut for SRH, Kishan smashed an incredible unbeaten 106 off just 47 balls – the fastest century ever by a player on their IPL franchise debut! This amazing knock set a target that RR just couldn’t reach. This big win shows SRH means business with their aggressive batting this season.

Match at a Glance

Feature	Details
Teams	Sunrisers Hyderabad vs Rajasthan Royals
Date	March 23, 2025
Venue	Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium, Hyderabad
Toss	Rajasthan Royals, elected to bowl
Result	Sunrisers Hyderabad won by 44 runs
Player of the Match	Ishan Kishan (SRH), 106* (47)
SRH Score	286/6 (20 overs)
RR Score	242/6 (20 overs)

The Toss & Game Plan

Rajasthan Royals’ stand-in captain, Riyan Parag, won the toss and chose to bowl first. This is a common T20 tactic, often due to potential dew later on or confidence in chasing.

The Hyderabad pitch was called “Toss Agnostic,” meaning the toss wasn’t expected to be a huge factor, though chasers had a slight edge historically. Even after SRH piled on 286 runs, Parag said choosing to bowl “Was Right Call”. He might have thought the pitch was super flat or expected a lot of dew.

However, the Hyderabad pitch is known to be “Batting Friendly”. The average first innings score here is 185, and the highest successful chase was 233. SRH’s 286 blew these numbers out of the water, suggesting the pitch was a paradise for batsmen, as commentators noted “Hardly anything on offer for the bowlers”.

Sunrisers Hyderabad’s Innings: Batting Carnage! (286/6)

From ball one, SRH went on an all-out attack, scoring a massive 286/6 in their 20 overs at a thrilling run rate of 14.30. Even losing Abhishek Sharma (24 off 11) early didn’t slow them down. SRH were “absolutely flying,” especially in the powerplay where they hammered 94 runs. It was “normal service resumed for SRH,” showing their plan to dominate early.

Ishan Kishan: The Debut Hero!

Ishan Kishan was the star. In his first match for SRH, he played a masterful T20 innings, scoring an unbeaten 106 from just 47 balls (11 fours, 6 sixes, Strike Rate: 225.53!). This wasn’t just his first hundred for SRH; it was the fastest century ever by a player on their IPL franchise debut!

Kishan admitted he was nervous but praised captain Pat Cummins and the coaches for creating a calm environment that allowed him to “just go in and believe in yourself” and “enjoy my time in the middle”. He also mentioned that the aggressive starts by openers Travis Head and Abhishek Sharma eased the pressure on him.

Other Key SRH Knocks:

Travis Head: A blistering 67 off 31 balls (9 fours, 3 sixes).
Nitish Kumar Reddy: A quick 30 from 15 balls (4 fours, 1 six).
Heinrich Klaasen: Smashed 34 off just 14 balls (5 fours, 1 six).

Fall of SRH Wickets: 45/1 (Abhishek Sharma, 3.1 ov), 130/2 (Travis Head, 9.3 ov), 202/3 (Nitish Reddy, 14.2 ov), 258/4 (Heinrich Klaasen, 18.2 ov), 279/5 (Aniket Verma, 19.2 ov), 279/6 (Abhinav Manohar, 19.3 ov).

Rajasthan Royals’ Bowling Under Fire

RR’s bowlers had a tough day. Jofra Archer, their main bowler, had a nightmare spell, giving away 76 runs in his 4 overs without a wicket (0/76). This was sadly the most expensive spell in IPL history – an “EMBARRASSING Record” for him. Such a performance can shake a bowler’s confidence and puts more pressure on the rest of the attack.

Amidst the onslaught, Tushar Deshpande was RR’s best bowler with 3 wickets for 44 runs. Maheesh Theekshana took 2 wickets but was also expensive (2/52).

SRH Captain Pat Cummins said, “I wouldn’t be wanting to bowl to our boys. Unbelievable. That was scary… the boys created a blueprint for how to play for the rest of the year”. This confirms SRH’s plan for super-aggressive batting in IPL 2025.

SRH Batting Scorecard:

Batsman	How Out	Runs	Balls	4s	6s	SR
Abhishek Sharma	c Yashasvi Jaiswal b M Theekshana	24	11	5	0	218.18
Travis Head	c Hetmyer b Tushar Deshpande	67	31	9	3	216.13
Ishan Kishan	not out	106	47	11	6	225.53
Nitish Reddy	c Yashasvi Jaiswal b M Theekshana	30	15	4	1	200.00
Heinrich Klaasen (wk)	c Riyan Parag b Sandeep Sharma	34	14	5	1	242.86
Aniket Verma	c Jofra Archer b Tushar Deshpande	7	3	0	1	233.33
Abhinav Manohar	c Riyan Parag b Tushar Deshpande	1	1	0	0	100.00
Pat Cummins (c)	not out	1	1	0	0	100.00
Extras	(b 4, lb 1, w 10, nb 3)	18
Total	(6 wickets; 20 overs)	286				14.30 (RR)

RR Bowling Figures:

Bowler	Overs	Maidens	Runs	Wickets	Economy Rate
Jofra Archer	4	0	76	0	19.00
Maheesh Theekshana	4	0	52	2	13.00
Tushar Deshpande	4	0	44	3	11.00
Sandeep Sharma	*	*	*	1	*
Fazalhaq Farooqi	*	*	*	0	*
Note: Complete figures for Sandeep Sharma & Fazalhaq Farooqi (substituted) not available.

Rajasthan Royals’ Chase: A Brave Fight (242/6)

Chasing a massive 287, RR needed something magical. They fought hard, scoring 242/6, but fell short by 44 runs.

RR’s chase hit early roadblocks. They lost Yashasvi Jaiswal (20/1), stand-in captain Riyan Parag (24/2), and Nitish Rana (50/3) quickly. Simarjeet Singh did the early damage for SRH, taking two wickets in his first over, while debutant Mohammad Shami got Rana.

Samson & Jurel’s Counter-Attack!

From a tricky 50/3, Sanju Samson (66 off 37 balls) and Dhruv Jurel (70 off 35 balls) launched a stunning counter-attack. They put on a brilliant 111-run partnership, giving RR a glimmer of hope.

However, losing both set batsmen close together was the killer blow. Samson fell at 161/4, and Jurel followed just two runs later at 161/5. Harshal Patel got Samson, and Adam Zampa dismissed Jurel. This double strike “sealed the game” for SRH.

Despite this, Shimron Hetmyer (42 off 23) and Shubham Dubey (a fiery 34 off 11 balls)* didn’t give up, adding a quick 80 runs. This helped reduce the margin of defeat and saved RR’s net run rate a bit.

SRH Bowling Strategy: SRH aimed for early wickets and got them. Even when Samson and Jurel were attacking, SRH managed to “soak up the pressure and get in a couple of quiet overs”.

Key SRH Bowlers:

Harshal Patel: 2/34 (4 overs) - got Samson and Hetmyer.
Simarjeet Singh: 2/46 (3 overs) - crucial early wickets.
Adam Zampa (Impact Player): 1/48 (4 overs) - dismissed the dangerous Jurel. Zampa replaced Travis Head.
Mohammad Shami: 1/33 (3 overs) on his SRH debut.
Captain Pat Cummins had an off day, going for 60 runs in 4 overs without a wicket.

RR Batting Scorecard:

Batsman	How Out	Runs	Balls	4s	6s	SR
Yashasvi Jaiswal	c Abhinav Manohar b Simarjeet Singh	1	5	0	0	20.00
Sanju Samson	c Heinrich Klaasen b Harshal Patel	66	37	7	4	178.38
Riyan Parag (c)	c Pat Cummins b Simarjeet Singh	4	2	1	0	200.00
Nitish Rana	c Pat Cummins b Mohammad Shami	11	8	2	0	137.50
Dhruv Jurel (wk)	c Ishan Kishan b Adam Zampa	70	35	5	6	200.00
Shimron Hetmyer	c Abhinav Manohar b Harshal Patel	42	23	1	4	182.61
Shubham Dubey	not out	34	11	1	4	309.09
Jofra Archer	not out	1	1	0	0	100.00
Extras	(b 4, w 7, nb 2)	13
Total	(6 wickets; 20 overs)	242				12.10 (RR)

SRH Bowling Figures:

Bowler	Overs	Runs	Wickets	Economy Rate
Mohammad Shami	3	33	1	11.00
Simarjeet Singh	3	46	2	15.33
Pat Cummins (c)	4	60	0	15.00
Abhishek Sharma	2	17	0	8.50
Adam Zampa	4	48	1	12.00
Harshal Patel	4	34	2	8.50

Turning Points of the Match

Ishan Kishan’s Century (SRH Innings): His explosive hundred set a massive target and demoralized RR’s bowlers.
Dismissals of Samson & Jurel (RR Innings): RR were 161/3 before Samson got out, and Jurel followed just two runs later, making it 161/5. This double blow by Harshal Patel and Adam Zampa ended RR’s realistic chances.
Jofra Archer’s Expensive Spell (SRH Innings): Conceding 76 runs without a wicket hugely inflated SRH’s total and put pressure on other RR bowlers.

Stats & Records Galore!

SRH’s 286/6: One of the highest totals in IPL history. Pat Cummins said, “getting 280-odd is unreal”. They even looked like “eyeing 300” at one point.
528 Match Runs: One of the biggest run-fests in IPL.
Ishan Kishan’s Feat: Fastest century (106* off 47) on IPL franchise debut. His first 100 for SRH.
Jofra Archer’s Unwanted Record: His 0/76 became the most expensive bowling spell in IPL history.
Powerplay Carnage by SRH: 94 runs in the first 6 overs.
Multiple Fifties: Travis Head (67 SRH), Sanju Samson (66 RR), and Dhruv Jurel (70 RR) all scored fifties.
Amazing Strike Rates: Ishan Kishan (225.53), Travis Head (216.13), Heinrich Klaasen (242.86) for SRH, and Shubham Dubey (309.09) for RR were super quick.

Captains & Player Speak:

Ishan Kishan (SRH, Player of the Match):

“To be very honest, the nervousness was there… But looking at the squad and looking at the team, especially Pat and the coach, they gave a lot of confidence… The environment is so calm… you just have to go in and believe in yourself.” On aggressive openers: “You can see Abhishek Sharma and Head going in and playing that sort of a game… you get enough time to take a few balls because Head is not going to stop, Abhishek is never going to stop.” Management’s message: “…just play your game and don’t be in a fear of getting out.”

Pat Cummins (SRH Captain):

“I wouldn’t be wanting to bowl to our boys. Unbelievable. That was scary.” “We have been able to keep the core of the side together… really happy with who we replaced them with, Ishan today was incredible.” “The boys created a blueprint for how to play for the rest of the year.”

Riyan Parag (RR Stand-in Captain):

Despite the loss, he felt it “Was Right Call to Bowl First.”

SRH’s fielding was also noted as “significantly sharper” than RR’s.

Key Takeaways:

SRH’s Batting Power: Their aggressive batting is a clear strategy to dominate. Ishan Kishan’s success is a huge boost.
RR’s Bowling Worries: Jofra Archer’s form is a big concern. They need to regroup their bowling attack.
Chasing Under Pressure: RR showed fight but couldn’t capitalize on the Samson-Jurel partnership.
Pitch Perfect for Batting: The Hyderabad pitch offered little for bowlers. SRH’s bowlers used variations better and were backed by sharper fielding.
Impact Players:
- SRH brought in spinner Adam Zampa for batsman Travis Head, and Zampa got the key wicket of Jurel.
- RR brought in batsman Sanju Samson for bowler Fazalhaq Farooqi; Samson scored a fifty. Zampa’s wicket arguably had a bigger impact on the result.

SRH has made a powerful early statement in IPL 2025. RR has batting firepower but needs to fix their bowling issues, especially Archer’s form. This match was another reminder of how T20 batting keeps evolving!