Hyderabad (Telangana) [India], March 23 : After witnessing a "scary" display from Sunrisers Hyderabad's hard-hitting batters in a run-scoring fest against Rajasthan Royals, captain Pat Cummins is glad that he doesn't have to bowl against his side.
In the ongoing edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025, SRH continued to live up to its reputation of tearing apart any bowling attack, irrespective of the surface.
The trend continued in Sunrisers' home den as they toyed with the Royals' bowling attack. The power-packed batting order didn't tilt at the windmills and made the Royals dance to their tunes.
With a destructive policy, SRH mesmerised the spectators by turning the tides and blazing their way to a herculean 286/6 total. The record-shattering target turned out to be too much for the Royals as they settled for a 44-run defeat.
"I wouldn't be wanting to bowl to our boys. Unbelievable. That was scary. You know it's going to be tough (for the bowlers), but when you get such a big score, one over can win you," Cummins said during the post-match presentation.
It all started with Abhishek Sharma (24) executing his strokes as if there was no tomorrow. On the other hand, Travis Head (67) went about his business and sent shivers down the Royals' spine.
After the end of a swift 45-run opening stand, Ishan Kishan arrived at the crease, looking to mark his debut for SRH on a memorable note. He got off the mark with an outside edge but didn't look back when the ball met the middle of his bat on the next delivery.
Kishan found the boundary rope according to his will and raced to his fifty in 25 balls. He didn't stop there and went on to peel off a century in a mere 45 deliveries.
After Kishan returned to the dressing room with 106(47), Heinrich Klaasen (34) and Nitish Kumar Reddy (30) pursued the blueprint of landing at the daunting 300-run mark.
However, a minor drop in the flow of runs in the middle overs dented SRH's hopes of crossing the record total. Despite missing out on a record feat, SRH returned with an imposing total of 286/6.
"We have been able to keep the core of the side together. Ishan, today was incredible. Just trying to play with freedom. The preparation has been amazing, our coaches have been amazing. The boys created a blueprint for how to play for the rest of the year," he added.
In reply, Rajasthan's war was led by Sanju Samson (66) and Dhruv Jurel (70). The duo hammered SRH bowlers around the park, but the asking rate turned out to be too high, and the Royals surrendered to a 44-run defeat.