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Rediff.com  » Cricket » MI Vs SRH: Who Batted Best?

MI Vs SRH: Who Batted Best?

By HARISH KOTIAN
March 28, 2024 09:49 IST
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Several batting records collapsed during the IPL 2024 match between Sunrisers Hyderabad and Mumbai Indians in Hyderabad on Wednesday, March 27, 2024.

While SRH amassed 277/3 for the highest total in IPL history, the match total of 523 is a new record for the most runs scored in a T20 match after MI responded with 246/5.

The two teams combined hit 38 sixes in the GAME, breaking the record for the most sixes ever hit in a T20 match.

There were several individual records as Abhishek Sharma slammed a 16-ball fifty -- the fastest by a SRH batter in the IPL after Travis Head had smashed a fifty from 18 balls earlier in the evening.

A look at the best batters in the Mumbai Indians-Sunrisers Hyderabad game:

Travis Head

Head made a sensational comeback to IPL.

Australia's ODI World Cup hero, who was bought by Sunrisers Hyderabad for Rs 6.8 crore (Rs 68 million), showed he is worth every rupee.

The left-hander set the tone for SRH's record-breaking total as he smashed the first ball he faced, in the opening over bowled by MI debutant Kwena Maphaka, for a boundary through the covers.

Head, who was dropped by Tim David in the next over off Hardik Pandya, made MI pay heavily for that lapse. He went after 17-year-old South African pacer Maphaka for back to back sixes followed by two fours in a row in the third over.

Pandya was shown no mercy as he smashed for a hat-trick of boundaries, while Gerald Coetzee was hammered for two fours and a six as the Australian raced to 50 from just 18 balls -- the fastest by a SRH batter.

Courtesy of Head's blitzkrieg SRH raced to 81/1 in six overs -- their highest ever in a Powerplay.

His entertaining innings came to an end when he miscued the upper cut off a slower bouncer from Coetzee and was caught at third man. Head walked back to a huge ovation from the home fans after a whirlwind 62 from 24 balls, including nine fours and three sixes.

Abhishek Sharma

Head's amazing innings was trumped by a belligerent knock from his young team-mate.

The Punjab left-hander got going with a six off a free hit delivery from Coetzee and there was no looking back from that point onwards.

While Head mostly dealt in fours, Abhishek kept clearing the boundary for regular sixes. He took apart veteran spinner Piyush Chawla in his very first over, with three sixes in four balls to power SRH past the 100-run mark in the seventh over.

SRH registered the fourth fastest team hundred and the fastest ever by a team batting first.

He also took a liking to debutant Maphaka with two fours and as many sixes off his third over, which also saw him bring up his fifty from just 16 balls and break Head's record set around 10 minutes earlier!

SRH broke another record for the most score by an team in the first 10 overs in an IPL match as they raced to 148/2 at the halfway mark.

He hit Chawla for another six before perished to the leg-spinner after a breathtaking 63 from 23 balls, having hit seven sixes and three fours.

Abhishek has rarely been spoken about despite part of the IPL for the past six seasons, but he finally seems to be making his move.

Heinrich Klaasen

Currently hailed as the most dangerous T20 batter in world cricket, Klaasen's brutal strokeplay propelled SRH to a massive 277/3 -- the highest ever total in the league's history.

Klaasen boasts of an amazing strike rate of 152 in T20 cricket -- 4,123 runs in 181 matches. His IPL career strike rate is even better -- 176 for 657 runs in 21 games.

This season, he has already sounded a warning to the bowlers with quickfire fifties to tally 143 runs at a strike rate of 226.

The stage was perfectly set for Klaasen when he walked out to bat in the 12th over with SRH scoring at nearly 15 per over. He continued the momentum as he lofted left-arm spinner Shams Mulani for a six over long-off off the second ball he faced.

A Hardik full toss was despatched over square leg for a six while he went after Jasprit Bumrah pulling him for a maximum to take SRH past the 200 run mark in the 15th over -- the second fastest 200 by any team in the IPL.

He showed no mercy towards his young compatriot Maphaka, whom he slammed for a boundary and a six in his final over and did the same to another South African Coetzee, carting him for a six over long-off before he brought up his fifty from 23 balls.

Klaasen was unstoppable at the end as he hammered Bumrah for back to back fours in the 19th over before Mulani was taken to the cleaners in the final over as he was slammed for a four and couple of sixes.

Klaasen finished unbeaten on 80 from 34 balls, hitting seven sixes and four boundaries as 75 came from the last five overs of SRH's innings.

Aiden Markram

Markram faced some scrutiny over his place in the SRH team and he responded with a timely knock.

While Markram's 42 not out from 28 balls was overshadowed by his team mates, his knock was instrumental in helping SRH maintain the tempo in the middle overs.

Markram got off the mark with a boundary off the very first ball he faced and a few balls later despatched Pandya over midwicket for a six.

With Klaasen hitting sixes at will, Markram did well to play second fiddle and did his job to turn the strike over to his team-mate.

Tilak Varma

Tilak Varma

Varma led Mumbai's strong reply with a quickfire half-century.

While MI made a flying start courtesy of their openers, Varma went after the SRH bowlers in the middle overs to keep his team afloat against all odds.

He struggled at the start with his timing, but once he pulled Umran Malik for a six over square leg in the seventh over he went on the rampage.

A six off leg-spinner Mayank Markande saw MI race past 100 in the eighth over, while he brought the smiles back to the MI camp with three sixes off Shahbaz Ahmed in the 10th over.

At the halfway mark, MI were firmly on course on 141/2 in 10 overs, with another 137 needing from the remaining 10 overs.

He hit Jaydev Unadkat for a four through extra cover to bring up his fifty from 24 balls but could not carry on much longer. He mistimed the pull shot off Pat Cummins and was caught at long-on after hitting 64 from 34 balls, with six sixes and two fours.

Ishan Kishan

Kishan bounced back after his duck in the previous match with some sensational strokeplay in the Powerplay.

Not many give MI a chance in pursuit of 278, but Kishan had other ideas. He took on SRH's experienced pacer Bhuvneshwar Kumar, carting him for three sixes and a four to get 23 from the third over.

He then slog swept Shahbaz Ahmed for a six over midwicket, but the spinner got his revenge with Kishan's wicket off the very next delivery as he mistimed a heave and was caught in the deep.

Kishan smashed 34 from 13 balls, putting on 56 runs for the opening wicket with Rohit Sharma from just 20 balls to give his team the belief that the SRH total was very much chaseable.

MI Vs SRH: Who Batted Best?

 

 

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HARISH KOTIAN / Rediff.com

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