It has been more than 500 days since Ishan Kishan has played for India. There was a time he was in contention for a keeper’s spot irrespective of the format. Fast forward now, he’s out of the BCCI central contract and has been ignored since the ODI World Cup 2023. As a result, the ongoing IPL 2025 is a perfect platform for Kishan to redeem himself. Gladly, he has taken his first step in the right direction. The lad has hit his maiden IPL hundred in some fashion!
Ishan Kishan: Pocket-sized dynamo
In the Sunrisers Hyderabad’s (SRH) tournament-opener, Kishan came to bat after Abhishek Sharma (24 off 11). Joining the forces with Travis Head, Kishan first watched Head’s mayhem from the non-striker’s end before punishing the Rajasthan Royals (RR) bowlers himself. Kishan got the width and went hammer and tongs to unleash a beast 25-ball 50. It included six fours and a couple of sixes.
It was surreal to see Kishan hit those lofted shots above the leg side and through the cover region. Even prior to the IPL 2025, he was hitting quite well in the practice games and the Jharkhand batter truly continued his stellar show. This performance would’ve certainly made the Mumbai Indians (MI) feel bad as the five-time champions let the keeper go.
50 to 100 in just 20 balls by Kishan
One of the most challenging tasks for a batter is to continue batting in a blistering manner for a regular interval. But Kishan did the job emphatically. The southpaw not only hammered the RR bowlers but kept on going till the last over. His innings was so easy on the eye that it led the entire Uppal stadium into a meltdown. He tore apart the bowling attack, getting to his maiden IPL century in just a matter of 45 balls.
He finished his score at 106 off 47 balls, leading the Hyderabad franchise to 286/6, the second-highest IPL score ever!
Ishan Kishan after the innings
“Just feel good. I was hoping for it [the century]. The team is doing well, and the environment is very different… When Abhishek and Head started the innings, they gave a lot of confidence to us batters. Credit goes to them also. The pitch was really good, and we were just trying to get them under pressure. We need to be on point, just keep things simple. It’s all about not panicking.“
