March 23, 2025: Ishan Kishan expressed his joy and gratitude after scoring his first-ever century in the Indian Premier League (IPL) during Sunrisers Hyderabad’s (SRH) clash against Rajasthan Royals (RR) at Uppal Stadium on Sunday. The 26-year-old batter’s remarkable knock of 106* off just 47 balls, which included 11 fours and 6 sixes, helped SRH post a massive total of 286/6 in their allotted 20 overs. His century, combined with a half-century from opening batter Travis Head, powered the Men in Orange to a total that just missed out on breaking their record for the highest team total in IPL history by just two runs.
After the match, Ishan spoke about his emotions following the milestone, stating that he had been aiming for a century for a while. “Feels good, it was coming for a while. I wanted to get this last season, but I am happy to get that first hundred,” he said, reflecting on the achievement. He went on to express his appreciation for the leadership’s confidence in him and the team’s aggressive batting approach, attributing much of his success to the freedom given to him by the team management.
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“I am happy the team has put their faith in me, and I want to do my best for them,” Ishan continued. “The captain has given us all a lot of freedom and confidence. Hats off to the management. When Abhishek (Sharma) and Head started, they gave a lot of confidence to us batters in the dugout. The pitch was looking good, and we were just trying to put them under pressure.”
Ishan also acknowledged the importance of staying focused in the field, recognizing the potential of Rajasthan’s strong batting lineup. “We need to be on point with the ball and keep it simple. Rajasthan batters are good, but if we bowl in the right areas and stick to the plans, we should be good,” he added.
SRH’s impressive performance with the bat came after RR won the toss and opted to field first. The opening stand of 45 runs between Abhishek Sharma (24 in 11 balls) and Travis Head (67 off 31 balls) set the tone for the innings. Kishan then added 85 runs in partnership with Head, accelerating the scoring rate. Nitish Kumar Reddy (30 in 15 balls) and Heinrich Klaasen (34 in 14 balls) also played crucial cameos to support Kishan.
On the bowling front, Tushar Deshpande was the top performer for RR, taking 3 wickets for 44 runs. Maheesh Theekshana chipped in with 2 wickets for 52 runs. However, it was Jofra Archer who had an incredibly expensive outing, going wicketless and conceding 76 runs in just 4 overs, setting a record for the most expensive over in IPL history.
With a total of 286/6, SRH left Rajasthan with a challenging target, and Ishan Kishan’s performance will surely be remembered as a game-changing contribution in the IPL 2025 season.