Abhishek, Head break records as SRH pull off Epic 246-Run Chase at home

Travis Head played the perfect partner for Abhishek, striking cleanly and rotating strike with ease as the pair put on a 171-run stand, now the 2nd-highest opening partnership for SRH in IPL history

Sunrisers Hyderabad pulled off one of the greatest chases in IPL history, hunting down a mammoth 246-run target set by Punjab Kings at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium in IPL 2025. At the heart of this remarkable win was a record-breaking opening stand between Abhishek Sharma and Travis Head, who lit up the Hyderabad night with fearless batting.

 

Abhishek Sharma, who had been under pressure due to inconsistent form earlier in the season, produced the innings of his life — a sensational 141-run knock which is now the highest individual score by an Indian in IPL history as well. His fireworks came off just 55 deliveries and featured 14 fours and 10 sixes, helping him break KL Rahul’s record for the highest score by an Indian in IPL history. 

 

 

Alongside him, Travis Head played the perfect partner, striking cleanly and rotating strike with ease as the pair put on a 171-run stand — now the second-highest opening partnership for SRH in IPL history, just behind the iconic 185-run opening stand by Jonny Bairstow and David Warner against RCB in 2019. Interestingly, Abhishek and Head also featured in SRH’s third-best opening stand — a 167-run effort against LSG in 2024. 

Highest opening partnership for SRH in IPL
Runs	Players	Opponent	Year
185	Jonny Bairstow, David Warner	RCB	2019
171	Abhishek Sharma, Travis Head	PBKS	2025
167	Abhishek Sharma, Travis Head	LSG	2024
160	Jonny Bairstow, David Warner	PBKS	2020

 

Their assault completely deflated Punjab Kings’ bowling unit, who had earlier ridden on Shreyas Iyer’s 82 to post 246/6 — the second-highest total of IPL 2025. However, it was not enough on a night where Hyderabad's openers made history.