SRH vs Rajasthan Royals IPL T20 Recap 2025

Indian Premier LeagueResult

Rajasthan Royals

242/6

Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium, Hyderabad · Sunday, 23 March 2025

Sunrisers Hyderabad won by 44 runsPlayer of the match: Ishan Kishan

Match preview

Sunrisers Hyderabad post 286 to beat Rajasthan Royals by 44 runs

Match overview

Sunrisers Hyderabad beat Rajasthan Royals by 44 runs at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium in Hyderabad on 23 March 2025. Batting first, SRH posted 286/6, one of the highest totals seen at a ground where the average first-innings score across 104 matches is 192. Rajasthan Royals gave chase with genuine intent, reaching 242/6, but the asking rate was never manageable after a difficult powerplay. Ishan Kishan was named Player of the Match. Rajasthan had won the toss and elected to field.

The result extends SRH's head-to-head lead over Rajasthan to 13 wins from 22 meetings. It is the fourth time in the last five encounters that Hyderabad have come out on top, and their second win at this venue in those five games. For Rajasthan, 242 in a losing chase is a score that illustrates their batting depth without providing much comfort.

Venue and conditions

The Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium in Hyderabad has hosted 104 T20 matches and broadly favours batters. The average first-innings score of 192 and average second-innings score of 179 suggest a reliable surface, but totals above 280 remain exceptional. Teams fielding first do so 49% of the time here, and chasers have historically succeeded in 54% of matches, making toss decisions finely balanced.

SRH's powerplay of 94/1 was more than double the ground average of 43 powerplay runs. Their middle phase added 114 runs for two wickets, and the death overs yielded 78 runs for three. In the chase, Rajasthan's powerplay of 77/3 was 17 runs fewer than SRH's and, critically, cost three wickets rather than one. Their middle overs were more controlled at 92/2, and the death produced 73/1, but by then the required run rate had moved beyond reach.

Pitch conditions appeared to offer little movement for bowlers throughout. With dew a factor in many evening fixtures on the subcontinent, batting second can carry an advantage at this venue, though that was not reflected in the outcome here.

How to watch

IPL fixtures are broadcast in the UK on Sky Sports Cricket, with live and on-demand streaming available through Sky Go and NOW TV for those without a satellite subscription. Evening matches in India typically kick off around 19:30 IST, which translates to 14:00 BST or 14:30 BST depending on the time of year. Confirm specific UK kickoff times on the Sky Sports schedule ahead of each fixture.

BBC Radio also provides audio coverage of select cricket events, though IPL is not part of their regular output. For full IPL coverage, Sky Sports remains the primary option for UK viewers.

Recent form

Heading into this fixture, Sunrisers Hyderabad's recent form from 2024 was mixed: three wins against Rajasthan Royals, Punjab Kings and Lucknow Super Giants set against two losses to Kolkata Knight Riders. The losses to Kolkata, who reached the final stages of the 2024 tournament, do not diminish SRH's underlying quality in this format. Their ability to post totals well above par at their home ground has been a consistent feature.

Rajasthan Royals arrived with a more difficult run of results. Their five most recent 2024 matches produced only one win, against Royal Challengers Bangalore, alongside defeats to Sunrisers Hyderabad, Punjab Kings, Chennai Super Kings and Delhi Capitals. Four defeats from five is a concerning sequence for any T20 side. Whether that form carried psychological weight into this chase is difficult to quantify, but losing three wickets inside the powerplay suggested the pressure was felt early. Both sides face further fixtures in the 2025 IPL campaign, and this result will sharpen Rajasthan's focus on how they start their chases against top-order bowling attacks.

Talking points

What to look out for

5 angles

Headline angle

SRH's 286/6 dwarfs the venue average

Sunrisers Hyderabad posted 286/6, nearly 94 runs above the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium's average first-innings score of 192 across 104 matches. Ishan Kishan was named Player of the Match. The powerplay alone yielded 94 runs for the loss of just one wicket.

Angle 02

Royals' chase falls 44 runs short

Rajasthan Royals scored 242/6 in reply, a total that would comfortably exceed par at this ground on most evenings. Losing three wickets in the powerplay for 77 runs put them on the back foot from the start, and they never quite closed the gap.

Angle 03

Powerplay dominance decided the contest

SRH's powerplay of 94/1 contrasted sharply with Rajasthan's 77/3 in the same phase. That 17-run deficit in powerplay runs was compounded by two extra wickets, removing the platform Rajasthan needed for the late surge a 287-run chase demands.

Angle 04

SRH extend head-to-head lead to 13–9

Sunrisers have now won 13 of 22 meetings with Rajasthan Royals, including four of the last five. The margin of 44 runs is their second-largest win in recent clashes, behind a 57-run victory in the most recent prior encounter at this ground.

Angle 05

Toss winner chose to field and lost

Rajasthan Royals won the toss and opted to field, a decision backed by the ground's 49% toss-field rate and 54% chase success record across 104 matches. On the night, the pitch offered little assistance to the bowling side and SRH batted through all phases.

Context

Key insights

Historical · Not official

Venue par

209

Avg 1st innings score at National Stadium

74 matches · 2004–2023

Chase success

58%

Chases completed successfully at National Stadium

74 matches · 2004–2023

Head to head

13 — 9

Sunrisers Hyderabad vs Rajasthan Royals — 22 meetings

2013–2026

Powerplay

45/1.1

Average runs/wickets in overs 1–6 at National Stadium

Sunrisers Hyderabad form

47%

Overall win rate — 201 matches 2013–2026

Recent: L · W · L · L · W

Historical aggregates derived from Cricsheet (cricsheet.org) under ODC-BY licence. 2001/02–2026 IPL seasons. For editorial context only — not official live match data, not a forecast, and not betting advice. Projections and comparisons above are frozen from the live state and may not match final statistics.

The rivalry

Who could decide it

Sunrisers Hyderabad lead the all-time head-to-head 13 wins to 9 across 22 meetings, with no no-results. SRH have been the stronger side in recent years, winning four of the last five encounters between the two sides, including three times at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium in Hyderabad.

Recent meetings

Last 5

2026: Sunrisers Hyderabad won by 57 runs at Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium, Hyderabad
2024: Sunrisers Hyderabad won by 36 runs at Chepauk
2024: Sunrisers Hyderabad won by 1 run at Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium, Hyderabad
2023: Sunrisers Hyderabad won by 4 wickets at Sawai Mansingh Stadium
2023: Rajasthan Royals won by 72 runs at Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium, Hyderabad

Key player · Sunrisers Hyderabad

Ishan Kishan

Kishan was named Player of the Match as SRH posted 286/6. His contribution anchored a powerplay that produced 94 runs for one wicket, setting the tone for the entire innings.

Sunrisers Hyderabad

AS Joseph

Alzarri Joseph has shown the capacity to tear through batting line-ups at pace in IPL conditions, previously taking 6/12 in 3.7 overs in an IPL match in April 2019. In a fixture where 286 had to be defended, the opening spell with the new ball was critical.

Career stats →

Rajasthan Royals

RA Jadeja

Ravindra Jadeja brings both lower-order batting firepower and the ability to slow scoring in the middle overs with his left-arm spin. Rajasthan's middle phase of 92/2 kept them mathematically alive, and Jadeja's contribution in that phase was key.

Career stats →

Sunrisers Hyderabad

Shubman Gill

Gill has a strong record of building big scores across formats, including 208 off 149 balls in an ODI in January 2023. At a ground where SRH routinely set high totals, his ability to accelerate through the gears makes him a central figure in any Hyderabad innings.

Career stats →

Angles to watch

Analytical angles worth tracking

Observations from the venue data, recent form and historical trends. Editorial context, not betting advice.

At a venue with an average first-innings score of 192, SRH's 286 was a significant outlier; top batter and top scorer markets may reflect this kind of high-variance outcome more accurately than outright result lines.
Rajasthan's powerplay of 77/3 illustrates the risk of backing team totals at this ground without knowing how the chase starts. Phase-by-phase markets can offer more granular coverage of these swings.
The toss winner chose to field but lost. At a venue where the chase success rate sits at 54% across 104 matches, the toss-decision variable is worth tracking when assessing innings total markets.
Player of the Match markets at high-scoring IPL venues historically favour top-order batters who benefit from batting first. Kishan's award here continues that trend.

For editorial context only. Not a forecast and not betting advice. 18+ only, please gamble responsibly.

Questions

Frequently asked

Sunrisers Hyderabad won by 44 runs. They posted 286/6 batting first at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium in Hyderabad, and Rajasthan Royals were bowled for 242/6 in reply. Ishan Kishan was named Player of the Match.

Sunrisers Hyderabad scored 286/6 from their 20 overs. Rajasthan Royals replied with 242/6, falling 44 runs short. It was a high-scoring match well above the ground's average first-innings score of 192.

Across 22 IPL meetings, Sunrisers Hyderabad lead 13 wins to 9. SRH have won four of the last five encounters between the sides, with Rajasthan's only recent win coming by 72 runs at Hyderabad in 2023.

IPL matches are broadcast in the UK on Sky Sports Cricket, with live streaming available via Sky Go and NOW TV. Check the Sky Sports schedule for UK kickoff times, which typically fall in the early afternoon for evening matches in India.

Ishan Kishan was named Player of the Match after Sunrisers Hyderabad's 286/6. SRH's powerplay produced 94 runs for one wicket, and Kishan's batting was central to that platform.

Across 104 T20 matches at the ground, the average first-innings score is 192 and the average second-innings score is 179. The average powerplay produces 43 runs, and the death overs average 40 runs. Teams chasing have won 54% of matches there.

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