The Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium in Hyderabad has been home to the local IPL franchise since the competition’s inception. It first housed the Deccan Chargers and later the rebranded Sunrisers Hyderabad. It has seen a considerable amount of IPL action within its four walls, including incredible run chases. Here are the top 3 highest successful run chases in the venue in the history of IPL.
1. DC vs RR, IPL 2008
The ninth game of the inaugural IPL season saw Deccan Chargers host the Rajasthan Royals. After winning the toss, Royals invited the home team to bat first. Batting on a familiar surface, Chargers amassed a massive score of 214/5 in 20 overs, guided by a masterful century by Andrew Symonds. However, his mighty efforts would go in vain as Rajasthan Royals chased the target down with one ball to spare. The likes of Graeme Smith, Yusuf Pathan, Mohammad Kaif and skipper Shane Warne came up with big performances with the willow to drop one of the best team batting performances and chase down what remains the highest successful run-chase at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium, Hyderabad.
2. SRH vs KXIP, IPL 2014
The 39th game of IPL 2014 featured the Sunrisers Hyderabad host Kings XI Punjab (now known as Punjab Kings) at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium. The visitors won the toss and invited the home team out to bat first. Batting on a familiar surface, the Sunrisers put on a massive total of 205/5 in 20 overs, with Naman Ojha guiding the team with a memorable knock of 79 off just 36 balls. However, it would all count for nothing as KXIP would chase down the total with eight balls to spare in the 19th over itself. Only Wriddhiman Saha surpassed the 50-run mark while quickfire knocks by Manan Vohra, Glenn Maxwell and skipper George Bailey pushed their team over the finish line, recording the second-highest successful run chase at this venue.
3. SRH vs RR, IPL 2019
The Rajasthan Royals have a knack for scoring big runs at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium; they appear twice on this list. In the eighth game of the IPL 2019, Sunrisers Hyderabad hosted the Rajasthan Royals. The visitors won the toss and batted first, scoring a massive 198/2 in their 20 overs. Sanju Samson scored a brilliant century while opening batter Ajinkya Rahane anchored the innings for the visitors with his commanding 70 off 49 balls. However, they would be left disheartened as the home team showed no mercy, chasing the target down with one over to spare. The opening stand between David Warner and Jonny Bairstow yielded them 110 runs, while Vijay Shankar’s quickfire 35 off 15 took them closer to the target. In the end, Yusuf Pathan and Rashid Khan saw out the remainder of the job to bring home a massive victory for the Sunrisers.