Baptism of fire: Dale Steyn reacts as SA's Maphaka scripts unwanted ...

IPL 2024, SRH vs MI: South Africa great Dale Steyn reacted to Kwena Maphaka's forgettable debut in the Indian Premier League for Mumbai Indians. Maphaka leaked 66 runs in his quota of four overs against SRH.

Mumbai Indians' Kwena Maphaka scripts unwanted IPL record (AFP Photo)

Legendary South African pacer Dale Steyn reacted to Mumbai Indians youngster Kwena Maphaka scripting an unwanted record on his Indian Premier League debut during an IPL 2024 match against SunRisers Hyderabad on Wednesday. Maphaka conceded 66 runs from his four overs against Sunrisers Hyderabad in match number 8 of the IPL 2024, making him the foreign player with the most runs conceded in an IPL innings. "Maphaka realizing the difference between U19 and the PRO league. Baptism of fire," Steyn tweeted.

Maphaka had a challenging outing in the match, starting with a relatively controlled first over where he conceded seven runs, but he struggled in the 3rd over, being hit for 22 runs. Despite being reintroduced into the attack in the 10th over, he continued to face difficulties, conceding another 20 runs. His final over, the 17th of SRH's innings, proved to be costly as 18 runs were scored. Overall, Maphaka conceded a total of 12 boundaries, reflecting the tough time he had on the field.

Records tumbled as Sunrisers Hyderabad smashed 277 for three, the highest total in IPL history, stunning Mumbai Indians. Travis Head (62 off 24) and Abhishek Sharma (63 off 23) showcased sensational power-hitting, with Sharma snatching the franchise's fastest fifty from Head within minutes. Heinrich Klaasen (80 not out off 34 balls) added fireworks to break an 11-year-old record, surpassing Royal Challengers Bangalore's previous highest total of 263 for five in 2013. Throughout the innings, fours and sixes rained as Head and Sharma dominated the Mumbai Indians attack.

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Head, initially left out of the playing eleven, demonstrated his prowess as one of the game's most dangerous batters with a whirlwind performance. He broke David Warner's record for the fastest fifty by an SRH batter with an 18-ball half-century, only for Sharma to surpass him 20 balls later, achieving the milestone in just 16 balls. Head, dropped early in his innings, unleashed boundaries with nine fours and three sixes, completing his fifty with an inside-out four wide of mid-off and smashing a bouncer from Gerald Coetzee for a six over deep midwicket, prompting opposition skipper Hardik Pandya to acknowledge the Australian's brutal assault.

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