Sunrisers Hyderabad chased down a target of 166 in just 56 deliveries in the 2024 Indian Premier League clash against Lucknow Super Giants, making it the quickest 150-plus run chase in the history of T20 cricket.
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Set a target of 166 by LSG, SRH got off to a stellar start, led by openers Abhishek Sharma and Travis Head. The highly successful pair were unstoppable and took apart the bowling unit, racing away to 107 in the powerplay. It was the second-highest powerplay score by any team in the IPL.
Sharma and Head made just eight runs in the first over of the innings before taking on the attack against Yash Thakur, making 17 in the second over.
Head made 22 runs in the next five balls and there was no looking back for the side thereafter. The Australian was the first to reach his fifty, getting to the landmark in just 16 balls, with Sharma taking three more deliveries to notch up his second fifty of the tournament. SRH, in the meantime, reached their 100 in 34 balls as they set their eyes on a convincing win.
Travis Head 🤝 Abhishek Sharma
SRH crushed LSG by 10 wickets to secure an important win🔥#TravisHead #AbhishekSharma #IPL2024 #Cricket #SRH #LSGvsSRH pic.twitter.com/S8gqWbb8c7
— Wisden India (@WisdenIndia) May 8, 2024
Hyderabad needed only 18 more balls to make the last 60 runs, hitting as many as six sixes and three fours to script history. Sharma was unbeaten on 75 off 28 at a strike rate of 267.86 in the end, while Head made a 30-ball 89* with eight sixes. SRH hit a total of 14 maximums during their innings with 16 fours.
SRH, thus, became the quickest side to chase down a target of 150-plus runs in T20 cricket, beating Brisbane Heat’s record of chasing down 158 in 10 overs. The previous record in the IPL belonged to Deccan Chargers, who had chased down 155 in 12 overs against Mumbai Indians way back in 2008.
It was also the second-fastest 100-plus stand in the IPL. The list is led by Head and Sharma as well, with the duo reaching the feat in 30 balls against Delhi Capitals earlier this season.
Earlier, LSG struggled to put on runs in their powerplay, making only 27-2 in the first six overs, the lowest they have made in any IPL game. KL Rahul made 19* in 24 in the first six and eventually made 29 in 33.
With the win, Mumbai Indians have been knocked out of the 2024 IPL, while SRH climb to No.3 with 14 points. They also massively improved their Net Run Rate, which now stands at +0.406.
