Records Tumble As SRH Outmuscle Mumbai Indians In Six Overs Achi-News

Hyderabad, March 27: Records fell as Sunrisers Hyderabad went on a campaign to post a record IPL total of 277 for 3 against Mumbai Indians before sealing a 31-run victory in a thrilling contest that left bowlers on both sides bewildered .

SRH opener Travis Head (62 off 24) and number three Abhishek Sharma (63 off 23) put up a brilliant display of power hitting which saw the latter capture the franchise record for the fastest Australian fifty within minutes.

Heinrich Klaasen (80 not out off 34 balls) provided the fireworks in the end to help SRH break an 11-year-old record. The previous highest total in IPL was 263 for five achieved by Royal Challengers Bangalore back in 2013. It was also the highest total recorded in a T20 league.

Mumbai’s bowlers were taken aback by SRH’s six-hit spree but their batsmen came out with purpose and made a game out of what looked like one-way traffic at the break.

In the end, they ended up on 246 for five in 20 overs.

A record 38 sixes were smashed in the match and it was the first time that 500 runs were scored in a T20 match.

“The wicket was good but 277, it doesn’t matter how good or bad you bowl, if the opposition get 277 that means they batted really well. It was tough out there for bowlers. Almost 500 runs were scored so the wicket helped the batsmen,” said MI captain Hardik Pandya after the match.

Chasing a mammoth 278, Rohit Sharma (26 off 12), in his 200th game for the franchise, played some sublime strokes and was well complimented by Ishan Kishan (34 off 13) who got some much needed runs .

Tilak Varma (64 off 34 balls) took the game deep with a high-quality knock, including half a dozen sixes. At 182 for three in 14 overs and seven wickets in hand, Mumbai Indians were on course for something special before succumbing to constant pressure on the scoreboard.

Tim David (42 not out from 22) tried his best towards the end but it was not enough.

Earlier, it rained fours and sixes as the Chief and Sharma played a part in the Mumbai Indians attack after being put into bat.

Head, who was surprisingly left out of the playing eleven for the opening game, cemented his status as one of the most dangerous batsmen in the game with a whirlwind effort.

He broke David Warner’s record of the fastest fifty by an SRH batsman with an 18-ball half-century before Sharma surpassed Head’s feat 20 balls later by reaching the milestone in 16 balls.

Head, who was dropped by compatriot Tim David at the start of his innings, opened his front leg and hit boundaries at will, amassing a total of nine fours and three sixes.

The southpaw completed his fifty with an inside out four wides from mid-on before dispatching a bouncer from Gerald Coetzee for a deep six over midwicket, prompting opposition captain Hardik Pandya to acknowledge Australia’s brutal onslaught.

When Head departed, Sharma went hammer and tongs, targeting most of the cow corner for his seven sixes and three boundaries.

It was a nightmare start to the IPL for 17-year-old South African pacer Kwena Maphaka, who made the Mumbai Indians squad on the back of his under-19 World Cup exploits.

He conceded as many as 66 runs in his four overs. The left-arm pacer could not recover from Head’s onslaught in his second over when he conceded 22 runs.

With most of the Mumbai bowlers taken to the cleaners, it was surprising that Mumbai Indians captain Pandya waited until the 13th over to give Jasprit Bumrah his second over.

Following Sharma’s dismissal, infielder Klaasen ensured there was no stopping SRH’s six-hitting spree. Klaasen ended with seven sixes with the maximum off Bumrah’s standout bouncer.

Klaasen almost took SRH over the line with his stunning strike against KKR at the Eden Gardens.

Former captain Aiden Markram took 42 off 28 balls. PTI BS ATK ATK

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(This story has not been edited by News18 staff and is published from the feed of a syndicated news agency – PTI)