IPL 2024: Head, Abhishek wreak havoc as SRH post their highest powerplay total

Travis Head and Abhishek Sharma

The match no. 8 of started with high anticipation for both the sides, as either Mumbai Indians or Sunrisers Hyderabad are supposed to make their first win of the season in the ongoing Indian Premier League 2024. Winning the toss, MI skipper Hardik Pandya invited the hosts to bat first at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium, Hyderabad. However, the decision backfired, as Sunrisers started the powerplay with a blistering start.

Openers Mayank Agarwal and Travis Head stepped out to bat, but the former got dismissed without troubling the scorers much. However, it was the attacking Australian opener who wreaked absolute havoc at the crease right from the word ‘go’. On the very first ball he faced, Head dispatched the young debutant Kwena Maphaka for a boundary. But that was just the start of the story, as all the tactics used by Pandya seemed to work against the visitors.

Also Read: Who is Kwena Maphaka? Everything you need to know about MI’s debutant

After the fall of Agarwal’s wicket, Abhishek Sharma joined Head to utilize the field restrictions during the first six overs. The southpaw duo smashed Mumbai bowlers all over the park, as the SRH debutant completed his half-century off just 18 balls. Abhishek too joined the party, finding boundaries at will. Reaching the half-century milestone a bit faster, the Punjab-born breached the milestone in just 16 balls, the fastest fifty of the season thus far.

With such blitzkrieg, SRH broke the record for the highest score in the powerplay for the franchise in the history of the premier T20 tournament. At the end of the powerplay, SRH had scored 81 runs, while Pandya gave the solitary breakthrough.

Also Check: IPL 2024: Match 8, SRH vs MI Live: SRH vs MI Live Updates, Commentary, News, and More

Meanwhile, as of the 17th over, the Orange Army have managed to score a mind-boggling 232 runs on the board. Currently, Aiden Markram and Heinrich Klaasen are on the crease, with an unbeaten partnership, 71* off 37 balls. The Protea duo will be eyeing to breach the 263-run mark, which happens to be the highest team total in the history of the cash-rich league, scored by Royal Challengers Bengaluru against the now-defunct Pune Warriors India.