A record breaker season for the orange army

In a thrilling encounter at the Arun Jaitley Stadium, Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) set the Indian Premier League (IPL) ablaze with a series of record-breaking feats. The team, led by Pat Cummins, went on a rampage against Rishabh Pant’s Delhi Capitals, showcasing an explosive power play that has become the talk of the cricketing world.

Powerpack performance of SRH

The match began with SRH batting first and immediately setting the tone for what was to come. Travis Head and Abhishek Sharma provided a blistering start for SRH, with Head narrowly missing out on the first ball but quickly compensating as the carnage began. The duo’s aggressive batting saw them score 125 runs in the power play alone, setting an IPL record yet again after their two record breaking matches one against Mumbai Indians where they tumbled down record of RCB by mustering a heavy score of 277/3 surpassing the score of RCB’s 263 and the other against RCB where they broke their own record by smashing 287/3.

The records didn’t stop there. SRH went on to hit their 3rd 250 plus score in IPL 2024, equaling their own record for the most sixes in an innings with 22 massive hits over the boundary2. The partnership between Head and Sharma was particularly destructive, achieving the highest run rate for a partnership of more than 100 runs in IPL history – 20.683.

Delhi Capitals, on the other hand, had a night to forget. Despite a valiant effort by Jake Fraser-McGurk, who scored the fastest fifty of the season in just 15 balls, DC could not keep up with the pace set by SRH. Rishabh Pant, the Capitals’ skipper, struggled to find his rhythm, scoring 20 off 24 deliveries in the 16th over, which ultimately contributed to DC’s downfall4.

SRH’s performance was not just about the records; it was a statement of intent.

As Travis Head put it, they aimed to “strike terror in bowling sides” and “blow some teams out of the water before they have even walked out on the field.” And that’s precisely what they did, ending the match with a total of 266/7, the fourth-highest IPL total ever, and winning the match by 67 runs as DC managed only 199/103.

This match will undoubtedly be remembered as one of the most electrifying performances in IPL history, with SRH demonstrating their prowess and setting a benchmark for what can be achieved in the power play and beyond.