IPL 2024 | Twitter reacts to Head-Klaasen storm eclipsing DK assault in record-breaking run-fest

Riding on the back of four back-to-back defeats, Royal Challengers Bengaluru’s decision to bowl first backfired as openers Abhishek Sharma and Travis Head teed off inside the powerplay. They stockpiled 76 runs in this phase on the back of two 20-run overs and an 18-run over, setting up a 108-run opening partnership within the eighth over itself. As Abhishek exited for 34, the SRH management promoted Heinrich Klaasen at No.3, who initially played second fiddle to a Head masterclass before freeing his arms. The pair combined for 57 runs off 26 balls with Head smashing a 39-ball ton and getting dismissed to Lockie Ferguson with the score reading 171/2 in 13 overs. Klaasen and Aiden Markam clobbered 60 runs in the next four overs before the former was outwitted by Ferguson in the 17th over. Just when RCB looked set to curb the scoring rate, Abdul Samad and Markram’s 10-ball 37 and 17-ball 32 cameos respectively helped SRH beat their own best total by stockpiling 287 runs in 20 overs.

Similar to their counterparts, RCB got off to a rollicking start, courtesy of Virat Kohli and Faf du Plessis. The pair garnered 15 boundaries to sum up a 79-run powerplay with no loss. However, they lost five wickets in the next four overs for just 43 runs with Markande’s wrong’un to clean up Kohli in the seventh over opening the crack. While Jacks was unlucky to be run out, Markande baited Patidar and Pat Cummins’ double wicket tenth over pushed the opposition on the back foot. Subsequently, Dinesh Karthik entered the fray and kept RCB going irrespective of the required rate. RCB’s score read 187/5 in 15 overs, courtesy of Karthik striking over 200. 43 runs came off the next three overs with the wicketkeeper-batter reaching a 23-ball fifty and continuing the onslaught until Natarajan got him nicked in the penultimate over. This resulted in RCB requiring a technically impossible 44 runs off the last over and eventually the Orange Army ended up with a 25 runs win in a run-fest of 549 runs.

Highest in second innings