In a heartwarming moment after Sunrisers Hyderabad’s thumping win over Rajasthan Royals, Ishan Kishan was spotted hugging the pitch curator at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium in Hyderabad. The emotional gesture quickly went viral, highlighting the bond players develop with the ground staff, especially at venues where they spend long hours practicing.
An epic run-fest goes the way of @SunRisers 🧡
The Pat Cummins-led side registers a 4️⃣4️⃣-run win over Rajasthan Royals 👏
Scorecard ▶ https://t.co/ltVZAvInEG#TATAIPL | #SRHvRR pic.twitter.com/kjCtGW8NdV
— IndianPremierLeague (@IPL) March 23, 2025
Though Ishan Kishan is new to the Sunrisers Hyderabad franchise, the left-hander has spent significant time at this stadium during training and domestic matches. His gesture toward the curator reflected the mutual respect built over time, and perhaps a moment of gratitude for the batting-friendly pitch that helped him announce his arrival in style.
Ishan Kishan’s dream debut for SRH
Making his debut for SRH after being released by Mumbai Indians, Ishan Kishan delivered a sensational performance, smashing a 45-ball century against Rajasthan Royals. Batting at No. 3, Kishan joined the run-fest after quickfire starts from Travis Head and Abhishek Sharma and carried the momentum forward with aggressive intent. He ended up scoring 100+ and was later named Player of the Match.
Sunrisers Hyderabad posted a mammoth 286/6, the second-highest total in IPL history, just one run short of their own record set last year. The top five batters, including Head, Kishan, and Klaasen, all had strike rates above 200.
Match summary
In response, Rajasthan Royals tried to keep up with the asking rate but fell short despite fifties from Sanju Samson and Dhruv Jurel. Simarjeet Singh and Mohammed Shami struck early to derail the RR top order, and despite late hitting from Hetmyer and Shubham Dubey, RR couldn’t chase down the towering target.
The match aggregate reached 528 runs, now the second-highest in IPL history, reaffirming SRH’s dominance with the bat.
