Sports
Records rewritten as Sunrisers Hyderabad overpower Mumbai Indians in an epic hit-a-thon
In a match that could rival any in terms of overall hitting pedigree, Sunrisers Hyderabad and Mumbai Indians served up a feast which the former eventually clinched by 31 runs. In all a total of 38 sixes (the most in a T20 game) were hit across forty overs and as many as 523 runs (the most in a T20 game) scored in a match for the ages at Hyderabad.
First up Travis Head, coming in for Marco Jansen, set the tone as he smashed a 18-ball fifty inside the powerplay. It became the fastest-fifty for SRH in IPL history. Head was brutal on anything short of length and was offered plenty of it as Mumbai Indians erred frequently. The powerplay went for 81 runs as SRH started entering the record books.
If Head was ruthless against the pacers upfront, Abhishek Sharma was merciless against the bowlers to follow. First he would go after Piyush Chawla and then after the 17 year old debutant Kwen Maphaka who was hit for 20 in a single over. The youngster would finish with unflattering figures of 0/66 in his four overs but could take heart in the fact that none of the more accomplished bowlers were spared either. Abhishek’s blitz was so hard that he ended up breaking Head’s record for the quickest fifty for SRH in IPL, getting there in just 16 balls. After 10 overs, SRH’s total of 148 was the highest ever by any team in IPL at the halfway mark.
Mumbai Indians held back Jasprit Bumrah even as SRH piled up 173 in just 12 overs. Bumrah had bowled only one over until then and they hoped to match him up better against Heinrich Klaasen at the back-end. It worked to an extent as Bumrah went for ‘only’ 9 an over. But as much as he was the standout on a flat batting beauty, it meant that there was no room to hide for any of the other bowlers. The in-form Klaasen spared none of the pacers even as he broke free, and finished it up with a 21-run over bowled by the spinner Shams Mulani to finish the innings. Klaasen remained unbeaten on 80 in a 116-run stand with Aiden Markram. With that SRH had racked up the highest-ever franchise T20 score of 277.
After SRH recorded the highest-ever IPL total, Mumbai Indians mounted a firm challenge in the chase.
Ishan Kishan and Rohit Sharma put on 56 in just 3.2 overs to give Mumbai Indians the perfect start as they took a shot at glory. Kishan hit four sixes and two fours in his 13 balls before falling to Shahbaz Ahmed. Sharma took on Pat Cummins, flicking him for a six, but fell pulling him next ball to give SRH a boost.
Through the middle overs, Tilak Varma took it upon himself to keep the momentum going. Along with a fluent Naman Dhir, he added 84 in just 37 balls. That partnership set the chase up once again as Mumbai Indians started to give SRH something to think about seriously.
As the innings progressed, the track began to favour the bowlers who managed to take the pace off the ball. Both Cummins and Jaydev Unadkat exploited this to perfection. With MI needing 68 in the last three overs and a well-set Tim David still there alongside Hqrdik Pandya, the chase was still on. However, the pace duo managed to get the better of them by taking the pace off to give SRH a memorable win.
Brief Scores:
Sunrisers Hyderabad 277/3 in 20 overs (Heinrich Klaasen 80*, Abhishek Sharma 63, Travis Head 62, Aiden Markram 42*; Hardik Pndya 1-46, Gerald Coetzee 1-57, Piyush Chawla 1-34) beat Mumbai Indians 246/5 in 20 overs (Rohit Sharma 26, Ishan Kishan 34, Naman Dhir 30, Tilak Varma 64, Hardik Pandya 24, Tim David 42*; Jaydev Unadkat 2-47, Shahbaz Ahmed 1-39, Pat Cummins 2-35) by 31runs
The second T20I between Sri Lanka and Pakistan which was to be played at Dambulla was abandoned without a ball being bowled due to rain.
In its fourth season, the WPL now feels part of the system, shaping careers and standards in increasingly visible ways. Most notably, it played a part in India winning their first ODI World Cup last year. How ’bout that. Almost silly that there was a time when this idea struggled to get off the ground.
While rivalries are still taking shape in this five-team league, Mumbai Indians vs Royal Challengers Bengaluru has all the ingredients of being the best one. Borrowing from its IPL counterpart, it pits two of the biggest names in Indian cricket, Harmanpreet Kaur and Smriti Mandhana, against each other. They are also the only teams to have lifted the trophy so far, with MI holding a slender 4-3 head-to-head advantage
There is an extra layer of significance this time. Harmanpreet and Mandhana return to the venue where the defining night of their international careers played out two months ago. The DY Patil Stadium will stir fond memories not just for the two captains but also for the India players on both sides, even if the sea of MI blue in the stands is expected to outweigh RCB’s red, black and gold. It was here that the duo shared an emotional hug after India clinched the World Cup, before circling the ground together, singing and dancing long into the night. On the eve of the WPL opener, both admitted those memories came flooding back as they walked into the stadium.
Harmanpreet has since spoken of the venue becoming a hub for women’s cricket in India, a sentiment Mandhana echoed ahead of the season. “Whenever you enter the ground, you remember exactly where the last catch was taken,” she said, recalling Harmanpreet’s leap at extra cover to dismiss South Africa’s Nadine de Klerk and seal the win in the final. “This is still just one-and-a-half months later, but even after 20 years, if we come back to this ground, we are still going to remember exactly what happened on November 2.”
The friendship remains untouched but once the WPL begins, Harmanpreet said the focus will be on “how we can win against each other.”
For defending champions MI, the template established in the inaugural season – continuity, role clarity, a strong core and enviable depth – continues to serve them well. Retaining five players ahead of the auction preserved the backbone of the batting, while the return of familiar faces ensured stability. While other teams opted for reshuffles, MI doubled down on their processes, backing experience, investing in youth and trusting a leadership group that has grown with the league.
RCB arrive with a sense of renewal after missing the knockouts last season. Mandhana remains the face of the team, supported by T20 firepower in Georgia Voll, Grace Harris, Richa Ghosh and Nadine de Klerk, though Ellyse Perry’s withdrawal leaves questions at the top. Their bowling, however, looks formidable, with pace from Lauren Bell, Arundhati Reddy, Pooja Vastrakar and de Klerk, and spin options in Radha Yadav, Shreyanka Patil and Harris.
G Kamalini 17, was retained by MI ahead of the auction alongside players like Harmanpreet, Sciver-Brunt, Matthews and Amanjot, which is an indicator of how highly she is rated. A left-handed wicketkeeper-batter with the ability to go big, Kamalini offers flexibility in the line-up. She made her WPL debut last season and announced herself in just her second game, against RCB, holding her nerve to seal a last over victory, She continued to impress in the domestic circuit, which earned her a maiden India call-up late last year for the T20I series against Sri Lanka, where she made her international debut. Captain Harmanpreet indicated ahead of this season that Kamalini would be given a “special role”, suggesting a move up the order, and said she expects the teenager to be one of the “main players” in the team.
After missing WPL 2025 and spending more than a year sidelined by a series of injuries, spin-bowling allrounder Shreyanka Patil returns to the tournament that launched her into prominence. She was just 20 when she debuted for RCB in 2023, and her rise was swift, with India T20I and ODI caps following later that year. Patil enjoyed a breakthrough campaign in 2024, finishing as the tournament’s leading wicket-taker as RCB went on to lift their maiden title. She made her return from injury at the Women’s CPL last September, featured in the domestic season for Karnataka, and was one of four players retained by RCB ahead of the auction. In the lead-up to the season, Patil has focused on fine-tuning her offspin, batting and overall fitness during a month-long conditioning camp at the private academy where she trains.
As Sri Lanka arrive on the doorstep of another World Cup, there is the usual attendant instability. The captain has been switched out but the team is still losing against good opposition. The top order is being rejigged frequently, and yet consistent scores are not forthcoming. There are strong elements in the attack – such as the bowling of Dushmantha Chameera and Wanindu Hasaranga – but there is fragility elsewhere. It might not take much to turn them around though. The raw materials of a decent T20 side are there.
Pakistan, meanwhile, have no serious work-ons from Wednesday, save for the catching and ground fielding. Head coach Mike Hesson described their big win in the first T20I as “very clinical”, praising not only the bowling that decked Sri Lanka for 128, but the top order batters who aced the chase as well.
That they are putting up such performances while key players – such as Babar Azam – are away in the Big Bash League, is especially impressive. If they are to put together a good campaign in the forthcoming World Cup, Wednesday’s win might have been the day they planted their flag in Sri Lanka. So far, they seem at ease in these conditions.
In the T20I tri-series in Pakistan last month, Pakistan opener Sahibzada Farhan had topped the run list, hitting 191 runs at a strike rate of 147. He has now made a bright start in Sri Lanka, hitting 51 off 36 in his first innings on the island. Farhan was especially good at taking down the round-arm seam of Nuwan Thushara, which caused significant problems for Sri Lanka, who require early wickets from Thushara. Farhan’s dominance will make Sri Lanka think twice about playing Thushara in this match.
Second on that run chart from the tri-series last month was Kamil Mishara with 169 runs at a strike rate of 139. He couldn’t get going on Wednesday, registering a three-ball duck after he spooned a catch to mid off. But he has shown glimpses of serious talent at the top level. Impactful innings in this series and the one to come against England will likely seal his spot at the top of the order.
The Dambulla surface for the first ODI was conducive to spin. At this time of year, showers are possible, but are unlikely to last long enough to wash out the match.
Pakistan may see no need to change their XI while Sri Lanka may consider bringing in Matheesha Pathirana for Thushara, which will mean Dasun Shanaka is required to bowl with the new ball.
Pakistan: Sahibzada Farhan, Saim Ayub, Fakhar Zaman, Salman Agha (capt.), Usman Khan (wk), Mohammad Nawaz, Shadab Khan, Faheem Ashraf, Mohammad Wasim, Salman Mirza, Abrar Ahmed
Sri Lanka: Pathum Nissanka, Kamil Mishara, Kusal Mendis (wk), Dhananjaya de Silva, Charith Asalanka, Dasun Shanaka (capt.), Janith Liyanage, Wanindu Hasaranga, Dushmantha Chameera, Maheesh Theekshana, Matheesha Pathirana/Nuwan Thushara
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