IPL: RR hammer 273 in practice game; Riyan Parag shines
What's the story
Riyan Parag as well as his teammates Dhruv Jurel and Yashasvi Jaiswal put on a stellar show as Rajasthan Royals (RR) geared up for their IPL 2025 opener against Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH).
The trio helped the team post a mammoth 273 runs in a practice match at the Sawai Mansingh Stadium in Jaipur.
This practice session was important for their season's first match on March 23 at Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium, Hyderabad.
Here's more.
Individual brilliance
Parag comes out all guns blazing
As mentioned, Parag spearheaded the onslaught for RR with a blistering 144* off 64 balls, smashing 10 sixes and 16 fours.
His brilliant innings was supported by Jurel's quickfire century (104* off 44 balls) and Jaiswal's 83 off 34 balls.
The trio's explosive batting effort propelled them to a mammoth target of 274 runs for their opponents.
Team performance
RR batting line-up shines in practice matches
Parag has been a consistent performer for RR since last season, scoring 573 runs from 16 matches at a strike rate of 149.22.
Jaiswal has also been in terrific form over the last two seasons, scoring 625 runs from 14 matches in 2023 and another impressive 435 runs from 16 matches the following year.
Dhruv Jurel is expected to do better this season after scoring less than 200 runs in each of his two previous seasons with the Royals.
Numbers
IPL stats of Parag
Parag had a strike-rate of 149.22, alongside four fifties, in IPL 2024. His highest score is 2024 was 84*.
Overall, Parag owns 1,173 runs at an average of 24.22 across 70 matches. His strike rate reads 135.14, while he has also hammered six fifties.
In T20 cricket, the Indian all-rounder has over 2,700 runs and 40-plus wickets.
Twitter Post
A look at the scorecard
Aaj mahol pura 🥶🔥 pic.twitter.com/x8ytQSld4m
— Rajasthan Royals (@rajasthanroyals) March 19, 2025
Rivalry
Sunrisers Hyderabad's impressive record in IPL
Notably, SRH also have the record for the highest total in IPL history, scoring a mind-boggling 287 runs against Royal Challengers Bengaluru last season.
Abhishek Sharma, Travis Head, and Heinrich Klaasen made significant contributions to this remarkable feat.
Ahead of their clash against the Royals, SRH have bolstered their squad by adding Indian wicketkeeper-batter Ishan Kishan to their lineup.
Notably, Kishan has been impressing in SRH's ongoing pre-season camp.
Player spotlight
Ishan Kishan's impressive form boosts SRH
Kishan has been in phenomenal form, scoring three half-centuries in four innings in SRH's intra-squad matches ahead of the season opener.
The Hyderabad franchise have also been scoring over 200 runs consistently in all their four practice innings, with the highest being 260.
In response, RR recently broke that score in their own practice match, setting a new benchmark for the upcoming season.