Six overs. Two fielders outside the circle. And the best T20 batters on the planet trying to make bowlers pay from ball one.

The IPL powerplay has produced some of the most extraordinary hitting in Twenty20 history. When it clicks — the right openers, the right conditions, bowlers who can’t adjust — those first six overs can effectively end a match before most fans have finished their first drink.

Here’s the complete breakdown of IPL’s highest powerplay scores, the partnerships that created them, and what the 2025 season told us about whether any of these records will fall.

Why the Powerplay Matters More Than Most Phases?

Dean Jones once pointed to a stat that holds up: 74% of teams that win the powerplay win the IPL match. The number makes sense when you think about what a massive start does to a chase.

A team that reaches the end of six overs at 90 or above doesn’t just put the opposition under run pressure — they change how the other team bats, how they attack, and what risks they’re willing to take. One partnership in the first six overs can restructure an entire 20-over game.

The All-Time Record: SRH’s 125 in 6 Overs vs Delhi Capitals (2024)

The highest powerplay score in IPL history belongs to Sunrisers Hyderabad.

On May 15, 2024, at Arun Jaitley Stadium in Delhi, Travis Head and Abhishek Sharma did something to Delhi Capitals’ bowling attack that’s genuinely difficult to describe without resorting to cricket clichés.

By the end of over four, SRH were 83 without loss. Head had already completed his half-century. In the fifth over, Abhishek targeted Kuldeep Yadav with three sixes — the third pushing SRH past 100 before five overs were bowled. When the powerplay ended, the scoreboard read 125/0.

Head finished with 89 off 32 balls. Abhishek scored 46 off 11 before being dismissed. DC never had a moment of control in the game.

The record had previously stood at 107/0, set by KKR against RCB back in 2017 — a mark that lasted seven years before SRH broke it twice in the same season.

Top 5 Highest Powerplay Scores in IPL History

1.) SRH 107/0 vs Lucknow Super Giants, May 2024

SRH pulled this off while chasing 163 in Hyderabad. The match was essentially done at the halfway point of the first innings.

Head made 89 off 30 balls — 8 fours, 8 sixes. Abhishek contributed 75 off 28 with a similar strike rate. Together they scored 107 before a wicket fell, and SRH completed the chase in 9.4 overs. It’s one of the fastest wins in IPL history by balls remaining.

What makes this more striking: SRH achieved their two highest-ever powerplay scores within the same season, separated by three weeks.

2.) KKR 105/0 vs RCB, 2017

For seven years, this was the gold standard. Chris Lynn hit 50 off 22 balls. Sunil Narine scored 54 off 17. Together they scored 105 without loss in six overs, and KKR chased 159 in 15.1 overs.

What made the Narine-Lynn combination so dangerous was the pace at which they both attacked from the first delivery. Narine in particular — largely unplayable in his role at the top — gave bowlers no time to settle. This record stood until SRH rewrote it in 2024.

3.) CSK 100/2 vs Punjab Kings, IPL 2014

A slightly different story. CSK were chasing 226/6 — a total Punjab had built on Virender Sehwag’s 122 off 58 balls. Suresh Raina answered with 87 off 25, and CSK crossed the 100-mark in the powerplay for the first time in IPL history.

They still lost by 24 runs, finishing at 202/7. But Raina’s innings and CSK’s powerplay were the first evidence that 100 in six overs was actually achievable in IPL conditions. It took another decade for that barrier to be routinely threatened.

4.) SRH 94/1 vs Rajasthan Royals, IPL 2025

SRH’s powerplay dominance extended into 2025, though the numbers cooled compared to 2024 peaks. The 94/1 against Rajasthan Royals was the highest powerplay score in IPL 2025, a sign that rule changes and bowling adjustments had started to slow things down.

The “Travishek” Partnership

Travis Head and Abhishek Sharma were given the nickname “Travishek” by SRH fans during the 2024 season, and the combination earned it. Together they scored 41% of SRH’s runs that season. The 125-run powerplay against DC and the 107-run stand against LSG both came from them.

What made the partnership work wasn’t just individual aggression — it was that both attacked differently. Head tends to drive and pull with clean timing; Abhishek goes for aerial routes, particularly against spinners. Bowlers couldn’t settle into a single plan because each batter demanded something different.

SRH coach Daniel Vettori noted they were aggressive but not reckless. Watching the footage backs that up: there’s a clarity to their shot selection even at those strike rates. They’re not winging it.

Abhishek’s credentials outside IPL also suggest this isn’t just franchise form. He scored 485 runs in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy at a strike rate of 192.46, and he climbed to No. 1 in T20I rankings during 2025 with 931 rating points.

How Rule Changes in IPL 2025 Affected Powerplay Scoring?

IPL 2025 started at a blistering pace. In the first ten matches, the run rate was 9.91 per over and teams posted 190-plus ten times.

Then things shifted.

The two-bouncer rule — allowing bowlers to bowl two short balls per over instead of one — gave pace bowlers a genuine tactical option. Death-over run rates dropped from above 10 to around 9.3. Batters who thrive on pull shots were forced to recalibrate. Abhishek Sharma, heavily targeted with bouncers throughout 2025, still scored 439 runs in 14 matches including a 141 off 55 balls against Punjab Kings — but his powerplay strike rate dropped from 202.95 to 193.00, and his six count fell from 42 to 28 across the season.

The second-ball rule — replacing a wet ball after the 11th over of the second innings, reducing the dew advantage — affected how spinners could be deployed. Spinners collectively took 118 wickets across the season. In one Delhi Capitals vs Lucknow match, the ball changed in the 13th over and the very next delivery took a wicket.

The overall powerplay run rate in 2025 settled at 9.01, noticeably down from the 2024 peak. Rajasthan Royals led all teams in powerplay scoring average with 65.29 runs per innings at 10.88 runs per over. Yashasvi Jaiswal (369 runs in 14 innings) and Sai Sudharsan (323 runs) were the most consistent powerplay scorers overall. Sudharsan won the Orange Cap with 759 runs across the season.

Will the 125-Run Record Ever Be Broken?

It’s easier to say “never” than to mean it in IPL cricket. The Impact Player rule, batting-friendly surfaces, and shorter boundaries at some venues mean conditions for record-breaking still exist.

But the 2025 numbers suggest the gap is bigger than one season. The next-highest powerplay in 2025 after SRH’s 94/1 was KKR’s 90/1. That’s still 35 runs short of the 2024 record. Bowlers have adapted: two bouncers per over, better use of swing earlier in the innings, slower hard-length deliveries instead of full-pitched offerings.

The 125 will fall eventually. T20 records always do. But it won’t happen casually — it’ll need conditions, a bowler who picks the wrong length at the wrong time, and two openers playing one of those sessions where everything they hit goes exactly where they intend.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

What is the highest powerplay score in IPL history?

125/0 by Sunrisers Hyderabad against Delhi Capitals on May 15, 2024, at Arun Jaitley Stadium. Travis Head scored 89 off 32 and Abhishek Sharma made 46 off 11.

Which team has the most entries in the top 5 IPL powerplay scores?

Sunrisers Hyderabad, with three of the five (125/0 in 2024, 107/0 in 2024, and 94/1 in 2025).

What was the highest powerplay score in IPL 2025?

SRH’s 94/1 against Rajasthan Royals in Hyderabad.

Who scored the most powerplay runs in IPL 2025?

Yashasvi Jaiswal (369 in 14 innings) led individual powerplay run-scorers. Rajasthan Royals led by team, averaging 65.29 per innings in the powerplay.

Did the two-bouncer rule affect powerplay scoring in 2025?

Yes, meaningfully. Powerplay run rates dropped to 9.01 in 2025, down from 2024 peaks. Death-over run rates also fell, and batters who play pull shots heavily — including Abhishek Sharma — saw measurable drops in strike rate and six count.

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