Cricket Stories 2024, March: SRH's Six-Hitting Mayhem; RCB's One And Only Premier League Title

In the second installment of our 12-part series, we re-lived Yashasvi Jaiswal’s coming of age, New Zealand’s ‘time is now’ in South Africa and much more. We now head into Part 3, which recounts the major March happenings in the world of cricket. (More Cricket News)

Read Part 1 HERE, and Part 2 HERE.

March 27: SRH Break Record For Highest IPL Total Ever

SRH created havoc in match 8 of the 2024 IPL, smashing the highest-ever team total in the tournament’s history against Mumbai Indians in Hyderabad. They piled on a massive 277/3, overhauling RCB’s 263/5 against Pune Warriors in Bengaluru in 2013.

Travis Head and Abhishek Sharma started the assault, hammering 68 off just 23 deliveries for the second wicket. While Sharma (63 off 23 balls) rocketed to his fifty off just 16 deliveries, which was the fastest half-century for SRH in the IPL, Head (62 off 24 balls) was not far behind, racing to his fifty off 18 deliveries.

The carnage continued. SRH blasted their way to 148 halfway into their innings which was the highest team total ever in the IPL after 10 overs. Aiden Markram and Heinrich Klaasen took over and butchered the MI attack, smacking an unbeaten 116-run stand off just 55 deliveries for the fourth wicket. Klassen showcased his destructive prowess at the death and remained unbeaten on a magnificent 80 off just 34 deliveries.

MI came out all guns blazing and hammered 76 in the powerplay. Their top-order fired and they were very much in the hunt till the half-way stage, smashing their way to 141/2 after 10 overs. Tilak Varma and Naman Dhir added 84 off 37 for the third-wicket. However, an indifferent innings from skipper Hardik Pandya (24 off 20 balls) made the task virtually impossible for the MI middle-order and despite a valiant effort by Tim David (42 not out off 22 balls), they fell well short and ended with 246/5 in their 20 overs.

The match saw an aggregate of 523 runs, which was the highest ever in IPL history. It was also the first time 500 had been breached in a match. The match also witnessed 38 sixes, breaking the 2018 record of 33 maximums in an RCB-CSK clash in Bengaluru.

March 6: The Big DRS Controversy In Sylhet

The Bangladesh-Sri Lanka cricketing rivalry may not match the historical context of the Ashes, or be as politically charged as an India-Pakistan encounter, but it is fast developing into one of the most heated battles in international cricket.

And the second T20I in Sylhet in March witnessed yet another controversial moment between the two sides when the third umpire, Masudur Rahman, overturned an on-field decision to adjudge Soumya Sarkar ‘not out’ despite a clear noise on Snicko and a spike on Ultraedge as the ball went past the bat. There were animated chats between the Sri Lankan players and the on-field umpires and the drama spilled to the post-match press conference.

March 9: India Triumph Against Bazball

India defeated England by an innings and 64 runs in the fifth and final Test at Dharamsala to take the series 4-1. India faced a rare challenge at home after facing defeat in the series opener in Hyderabad. However, Yashasvi Jaiswal’s double ton and Jasprit Bumrah’s six-wicket haul in the first innings changed the course of the second Test at Visakhapatnam and of the series.

India had the momentum and never looked back. They won the Vizag Test by 106 runs before thumping England by 434 runs in Rajkot and five wickets at Ranchi. Jaiswal was the standout batter of the series and hammered 712 runs in nine innings, while Ashwin was the leading wicket-taker with 26 wickets.

March 17: RCB Win Their First Premier League Title

Royal Challengers Bengaluru lifted the second edition of the Women’s Premier League, defeating Delhi Capitals in the final at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in New Delhi. Australia’s left-arm orthodox bowler Sophie Molineux was the star of the show as she broke the backbone of the DC top-order, getting rid of Shafali Verma, Jemimah Rodrigues and Alice Capsey in one over – the eighth of the innings – RCB controlled the match from thereafter. It was RCB’s maiden premier league title – the more famous men’s franchise are yet to lift the trophy.

March 11: Australia Pull Off Heist In New Zealand

Chasing 279 for a win in the fourth innings in the second Test of the Chappell-Hadlee Trophy at Christchurch, Australia were in the doldrums at 80 for 5 when Mitchell Marsh and Alex Carey joined hands. They counter-attacked and hammered 140 off just 174 deliveries for the fifth-wicket, turning the match on its head, taking Australia to the brink of victory.

Carey remained undefeated on 98 to take the visitors to a famous three-wicket win and with it the series 2-0. Australia had pulled off their highest chase in New Zealand.

That concludes part 3 of the 2024 cricket series. The fourth part will feature Kolkata Knight Riders' blitzkrieg, Jake Fraser-McGurk and Will Jacks' coming of age and much more