The first match of Sunday's IPL 2025 double-header featured Rajasthan Royals (RR) against Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium. Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) won the match by 44 runs. Rajasthan Royals (RR) captain Riyan Parag won the toss and chose to bowl first. Sanju Samson played as an impact player and made a significant impact.
SRH, led by Pat Cummins, finished as runners-up last season. After losing another IPL final to Chennai Super Kings (CSK) in 2018, the Orange Army hopes to go all the way this year.
SRH's Explosive Batting Start
Abhishek Sharma started aggressively, hitting powerful shots. Soon, Travis Head joined him, and SRH raced to 45/0 in just three overs. However, Abhishek mistimed a shot off Maheesh Theekshana, and Yashasvi Jaiswal took a spectacular catch. He scored 24 runs off 11 balls.
Ishan Kishan joined Travis Head and started with a boundary off Theekshana. By the end of the powerplay, SRH had reached 94/1. Head remained unbeaten on 46 off 21 balls with six fours and three sixes, while Kishan played on 20 runs off nine balls with four fours.
Travis Head reached his half-century in just 21 balls. However, Tushar Deshpande dismissed him in the 10th over. Head scored 67 off 31 balls, hitting nine fours and three sixes. After his wicket, SRH's score stood at 130/2. Nitish Kumar Reddy then joined Ishan Kishan.
Ishan Kishan’s Dominance
Ishan Kishan completed his fifty in 26 balls by smashing back-to-back sixes off Jofra Archer in the 13th over. At that point, SRH had posted 178/2. Meanwhile, Nitish Kumar Reddy was unbeaten on 19 off 10 balls.
SRH quickly reached 201/2 in 14.1 overs. However, Theekshana struck again, dismissing Nitish Kumar Reddy, who scored a quick 30 off 15 balls with four fours and a six. His 72-run partnership with Ishan Kishan ended.
Heinrich Klaasen arrived at the crease. After 15 overs, SRH stood at 208/3. Klaasen showed fireworks but fell to Sandeep Sharma's yorker in the 19th over. SRH reached 258/4 in 18.3 overs.
Aniket Verma joined Kishan, who smashed two consecutive sixes off Sandeep Sharma in the final over. Kishan reached his first IPL century in just 45 balls, hitting ten fours and six sixes—his highest IPL score. Tushar Deshpande took two wickets in the last over. SRH posted a massive total of 286/6 in 20 overs.
RR’s Tough Chase Begins
Yashasvi Jaiswal and Sanju Samson opened the innings for RR. Samson attacked from the first over, but Jaiswal departed early for 1(5) after Abhinav took a stunning catch off Simarjeet Singh's bowling.
Riyan Parag hit a boundary but soon gave a catch to Pat Cummins off Simarjeet Singh's delivery. Simarjeet picked up two early wickets in his first over, reducing RR to 25/2 in two overs.
Nitish Rana joined Samson, but Mohammed Shami dismissed him for 11(8) in the fifth over. Dhruv Jurel arrived and started attacking immediately. After six overs, RR had reached 77/3, with Samson on 33 off 13 balls and Jurel on 22 off eight balls.
Sanju Samson and Dhruv Jurel Fight Back
Samson reached his fifty in 26 balls, mixing aggression with patience. By the 12th over, RR stood at 125/3. Jurel then completed his half-century with a six off a no-ball from Simarjeet Singh. He hit five fours and four sixes in his knock. RR reached 151/3 in 13 overs.
However, RR suffered a major blow when Samson fell to Harshal Patel in the 14th over after scoring 66 off 37 balls, including seven fours and four sixes. Adam Zampa then removed Jurel, who played a brilliant knock of 70 off 35 balls. With two quick wickets, RR’s score dropped to 161/5. Shimron Hetmyer counterattacked with a six off Zampa. After 15 overs, RR reached 169/5 but still had a tough chase ahead.
Hetmyer and Dubey unleashed a flurry of boundaries and sixes, pushing the score to 218/5 after 18 overs. Shimron Hetmyer, after scoring 42 off 23 balls, fell to Harshal Patel. Shivam Dubey smashed 34 runs off just 11 balls, hitting one four and four sixes. A total of 528 runs were scored in this match.
Brief Scorecard
Sunrisers Hyderabad started the IPL season right where they left off last season. Rajasthan Royals, on the other hand, lost the match but showcased their potential. Dhruv Jurel, Shimron Hetmyer, and Shivam Dubey proved to be game-changers in the following matches. Stay tuned with JUSZNEWS for regular updates!