On This Day in 2024 – When SRH & RCB Broke Records in a Historic Run-Fest

Before the match started, no one could have ever thought it would end up with many new records, such as most runs scored in the first innings, most sixes in an IPL inning, highest score while chasing, and much more. By the end of the game, SRH managed to win by 25 runs, but the match was more of a thriller. Let’s take a look back at the match and how it was dominated by the batters.

The Toss That Set the Tone

The home team captain, Faf du Plessis, won the toss at the Chinnaswamy Stadium, and he decided to field first in the match. The pitch is known for its favourable conditions to the team coming out to chase, and considering the possibility of being due in the second innings, it could be an advantage for the Royal Challengers Bengaluru. The pitch was flat and RCB bowlers did not know what was coming for them from the SRH batters. With short boundaries and a flat pitch, a treat was coming for Hyderabad bowlers by an out-of-form RCB’s bowling line-up.

SRH’s Batting: A Ruthless Assault

The most aggressive opening pair of the IPL 2024 season, Abhishek Sharma and Travis Head, came out in the middle to go against RCB’s bowling line-up. Their intent and approach were clear, to be aggressive and smash boundaries from the very first over. Travis Head, the left-handed Australian batsman, was the star player for Hyderabad in the game, and he smashed RCB’s bowlers everywhere in the park. Head brought in a vast range of shots to his inventory as the bowlers struggled to take his wicket and fielders chasing the ball.

Following this, Travis Head completed his century in the match in just 39 balls, which made him the fourth fastest player in IPL history to complete a century. With his utter dominance, RCB bowlers had no answer, as their captain, Faf du Plessis, had tried almost every bowling option to take his wicket. Ferguson was able to dismiss him at the score of 102 off 41 balls, with 9 fours and 8 sixes. Abhishek Sharma also performed well with Head, scoring 34 runs off 22 balls, but he also lost his wicket initially to Reece Topley.

After the openers got dismissed, Heinrich Klaasen played an electrifying cameo for SRH, as he scored 67 runs off just 31 balls, with just 2 fours and 7 sixes. Klaasen used his class and brutal power against the spinners, which helped him reach this magnificent score before losing his wicket to Lockie Ferguson. Just when RCB thought that the run rate could be lowered towards the end, Aiden Markram and Abdul Samad came to the strike.

Aiden Markram scored a quick 32 runs off just 17 deliveries and Abdul Samad went on a rampage mode, as he scored 37 runs off just 10 balls with 4 fours and 3 sixes. By the end, SRH had scored 287 runs for the loss of 3 wickets in 20 overs. For RCB, Lockie Ferguson, with 2 wickets and Reece Topley, with a wicket, were the only wicket-takers in the innings, as Will Jacks conceded the least runs, bowling 3 overs at an economy of 10.66.

RCB’s Brave But Insufficient Response 

Chasing the mammoth target of 288 was definitely like picking a needle from a haystack. But if there was a team that could make even the chase memorable for the fans, it was Royal Challengers Bengaluru, and taking the home ground advantage, the team went off well. Opening for the team came the iconic duo of Faf du Plessis and Virat Kohli, who have carried RCB’s batting line-up for a long time.

Kohli and du Plessis started off well, as the powerplay went wicketless for Hyderabad, and they had already added 79 runs to the scoreboard. Pat Cummins knew he should take a wicket at this stage, as this partnership could also cost him the game. Thus, Virat Kohli was bowled off by Mayank Markande at the score of 42 runs off 20 balls. Coming out next was Will Jacks, who also got out at the score of 7 runs off just 4 deliveries, following a direct hit by Jaydev Unadkat.

Pat Cummins had his plans working well to stop RCB as soon as possible, as Rajat Patidar, the spin master, was also dismissed by Mayank Markande at the score of 9. Later in the 10th over, SRH’s captain made RCB’s batting line-up suffer by taking the wicket of Faf du Plessis, who got out at the score of 62 runs off 28 deliveries with 7 fours and 4 sixes. Saurav Chauhan quickly followed him to the dugout, as he was dismissed for a golden duck by Cummins.

But just when Hyderabad thought the game was in their hands, Dinesh Karthik, playing his last season, came in to play and showcased his magnificent batting skills against the Hyderabad bowlers. Karthik remained till the 19th over, as he scored 83 runs off just 35 balls with 5 fours and 7 sixes before losing his wicket to T Natarajan. Anuj Rawat played a great cameo of 25 runs off 14 balls as RCB fell short by 25 runs in this massive chase.

Although the chase was massive, RCB had played brilliantly with the bat, which was also appreciated by SRH. For them, Pat Cummins, the captain, led greatly with the ball, taking 3 wickets and conceding 43 runs in 4 overs. Mayank Markande and T Natarajan also grabbed a wicket each for the team, as other bowlers remained high in economy rates and without wickets.