IPL 2025: Ishan Kishan Fires Sunrisers Hyderabad to Top of the Leaderboard With Win Over Rajasthan Royals
by Devesh Jaganath | by Devesh Jaganath
Sunrisers Produce Devastating Power Hitting Performance In IPL Opener
The Sunrisers Hyderabad made the perfect start to their 2025 Indian Premier League campaign, notching up an opening round victory over the Rajasthan Royals at the Rajiv Gandhi International Cricket Stadium this past Sunday.
After being invited to bat first by the Royals, SRH got off to a flying start with Abhishek Sharma and Travis Head putting on a quick-fire opening partnership of 45 runs in just 19 balls, before Sharma was dismissed by Maheesh Theekshana for 24 off 11 balls in the fourth over.
However, that wicket did not derail their progress, as Ishan Kishan strode out to the crease at number three and blasted 106* runs in just 47 deliveries, contributing to an 85-run second-wicket partnership with Head in just 38 balls.
A couple of brisk innings by Nitish Kumar Reddy (30 off 15) and Heinrich Klaasen (34 off 14) at the death took SRH to a total of 286/6 - the second-highest in the history of the IPL - just one run shy of the all-time top score, which they set last season against the Royal Challengers Bengaluru.
SRH now hold four of the top-five highest scores in the Indian Premier League!
Rajasthan’s bowlers were taken to the cleaners by the sheer force of Hyderabad’s power hitters, with England international Jofra Archer going for 19 runs an over before finishing with figures of 0/76 in his four overs, which now stands as the worst bowling figures in IPL history.
In an attempt to chase down the mammoth target, Sanju Samson scored 66 runs in 37 balls and Dhruv Jurel top-scored for the Royals with 70 runs in 35 deliveries, but the team only managed to get to 242/6 in their 20 overs, coming up 44 runs short.
The Sunrisers will look to follow up their excellent opening performance in their second match against Lucknow tomorrow, and you can check out our SRH vs. LSG prediction right here on SportyTrader!
Ishan Kishan Takes Early Lead in Orange Cap Standings
Ishan Kishan could not have announced himself in a grander manner than he did on his debut knock for his new employers. The wicket-keeper batsman was snapped up by SRH for ₹11.25 crore at the IPL mega auction in November last year and immediately repaid the franchise's faith in him.
His century came in just 45 balls and included 11 fours and six sixes, placing this knock in the top-10 fastest centuries scored since the IPL began back in 2008. The current record is held by West Indian star Chris Gayle, who smashed a century in just 30 balls for RCB against Pune in 2013.
Kishan now dons the coveted orange cap as the only player to score a century in the first round of this season’s IPL. However, he is closely tracked by Shreyas Iyer, who also produced an excellent knock of 97 runs in 42 balls in his first match for the Punjab Kings on Tuesday afternoon.
Following their brilliant victory over the Royals, the Sunrisers Hyderabad have shortened according to the latest IPL betting odds and are now showing up as the early favourites to win the tournament.
Orange Cap Standings After Round 1
| Pos | Player | Team | Mat | Runs | HS | S/R | 100 | 50 | 6S |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ishan Kishan | Hyderabad | 1 | 106 | 106 | 225.53 | 1 | 0 | 6 |
| 2 | Shreyas Iyer | Punjab | 1 | 97 | 97 | 230.95 | 0 | 1 | 9 |
| 3 | Nicholas Pooran | Lucknow | 1 | 75 | 75 | 250 | 0 | 1 | 7 |
| 4 | B Sai Sudharshan | Gujarat | 1 | 74 | 74 | 180.49 | 0 | 1 | 6 |
| 5 | Mitchell Marsh | Lucknow | 1 | 72 | 72 | 200 | 0 | 1 | 6 |
| 6 | Dhruv Chand Jurel | Rajasthan | 1 | 70 | 70 | 200 | 0 | 1 | 6 |
| 7 | Travis Head | Hyderabad | 1 | 67 | 67 | 216.13 | 0 | 1 | 3 |
| 8 | Ashutosh Sharma | Delhi | 1 | 66 | 66 | 212.9 | 0 | 1 | 5 |
| 9 | Sanju Samson | Rajasthan | 1 | 66 | 66 | 178.38 | 0 | 1 | 4 |
| 10 | Rachin Ravindra | Chennai | 1 | 65 | 65 | 144.44 | 0 | 1 | 4 |
