A flurry of sixes by the Sunrisers Hyderabad forced a ball boy to don a helmet for safety reasons during their dominant performance against the Delhi Capitals in the 2024 IPL. A viral photo circulating on social media platform X shows a ball boy sitting outside the boundary line, wearing a helmet during the first inning.
Delhi Capitals, who elected to field first, were left reeling after a ruthless batting display from the SRH openers. Travis Head and Abhishek Sharma launched a brutal assault, leaving the DC bowlers with no answers. The duo amassed a record-breaking 125 runs in the powerplay, the highest in T20 cricket history.
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Head smashed the fastest fifty of the season in just 16 balls, while Sharma fell just short of Yuvraj Singh's 12-ball fifty record, departing for a blistering 46 runs off 12 deliveries. Both openers displayed fearless batting, prioritizing aggression over milestones. Head's innings of 89 runs off 32 balls earned him a standing ovation despite his dismissal. SRH capitalized on the early onslaught, registering their third score of 250+ this season. They posted a mammoth 266/7 in their allotted 20 overs.
Chasing a monumental target, Delhi needed a similar start. While Prithvi Shaw provided a brief spark with a 5-ball 16, the DC batting unit faltered. Jake Frazer McGurk emerged as the lone bright spot for the hosts, smashing a quickfire 18-ball 65 to briefly put Delhi in a commanding position.
However, wickets fell in clusters as the SRH bowlers applied pressure. Captain Rishabh Pant failed to deliver on his home ground, contributing to Delhi's collapse. T Natarajan bagged four wickets, while Mayank Markande scalped two to dismantle the chase. With this convincing victory, SRH climbed to the second spot in the points table, registering their fifth win of the tournament.
