Just days after a video surfaced showing Pandya directing Sharma to field in the deep, the tables turned as the pressure mounted on the five-time champions in Hyderabad.
Sunrisers’s relentless onslaught saw them smashing a record-breaking total of 277 for 3, the highest-ever in IPL history. This incredible feat saw them break the 11-year-old record for the highest-ever team total in an IPL innings, previously held by Royal Challengers Bengaluru – 263/5 in 20 overs against now-defunct Pune Warriors India in 2013.
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Despite the efforts of Pandya and Sharma to orchestrate fielding changes, Sunrisers’ batsmen sent the ball soaring into the stands, hitting a total of 18 sixes and 19 boundaries.
The heroics of Travis Head, who blazed his way to an 18-ball fifty, and Abhishek Sharma, who set a new record for the fastest fifty for the 2016 champions in IPL with a 16-ball half-century, left the Mumbai Indians struggling to contain the onslaught.
Sunrisers’ dominance was further highlighted by Heinrich Klaasen‘s explosive knock of 80 not out off 34 balls, which included seven sixes.
It was a challenging night for Pandya, the Mumbai Indians captain, as his decision to hold back their premier bowler, Jasprit Bumrah, backfired. Bumrah’s delayed introduction into the attack allowed Sunrisers to pile on the runs, leaving fans and experts puzzled by the strategic move.