Players with Most Runs Against SRH in IPL History

Scoring runs against Sunrisers Hyderabad has never been easy. For a decade, SRH built their identity around elite bowling: Dale Steyn and Amit Mishra in the early years, then Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Rashid Khan and Siddharth Kaul, and more recently T Natarajan and Pat Cummins. From 2016 to 2020, they reached the playoffs in every single edition on the back of that attack.

Yet a handful of batters have consistently found ways to score against them. At the top of the list stands Sanju Samson, the only batter to cross 900 IPL runs against SRH, with Virat Kohli breathing down his neck. This guide covers the ten batters with the most runs against SRH in IPL history, their standout innings and what made them so effective.

Top 10 Batters With Most Runs Against SRH in IPL

Samson’s lead is built on remarkable consistency: 901 runs in 26 innings at an average of nearly 43. Kohli is only 12 runs behind, and their head-to-head battle for the top spot has been one of the IPL’s quiet subplots in recent seasons.

Sanju Samson: 901 Runs of Pure Timing

Sanju Samson is the only batter in IPL history to score more than 900 runs against Sunrisers Hyderabad. His 901 runs have come in 26 innings at an average of 42.90 and a strike rate of 141, numbers that speak to both longevity and dominance.

Samson’s game is built on timing rather than brute force, which makes his record against SRH’s high-quality pace attack particularly impressive. His standout innings came in 2019 when he smashed an unbeaten 102 for Rajasthan Royals against SRH, a knock of pristine drives and effortless sixes. He has added five fifties alongside that hundred, and his ability to dominate both pace and spin has made him SRH’s most persistent tormentor.

As RR’s captain in later years, Samson often reserved his best for the Hyderabad franchise, reading their variations and attacking their spinners in the middle overs.

Virat Kohli: 889 Runs and Closing In

Virat Kohli sits just 12 runs behind Samson with 889 runs in 26 innings. His average of 38.65 and strike rate of 144.31 show a batter who has scored quickly and consistently against one of the league’s toughest attacks.

Kohli’s most famous innings against SRH came in 2016, the season he rewrote the IPL record books and won the Orange Cap with 973 runs. Chasing for Royal Challengers Bengaluru, he scored a magnificent 100, reaching his century with the same wristy flicks and cover drives that defined his peak. He has six fifties to go with that hundred, the most fifty-plus scores of anyone against SRH.

The Kohli-Samson race for the top spot adds an extra layer of intrigue every time RCB and RR meet SRH. Kohli needs only a single good innings to take the lead.

The Middle Order Maestros: Iyer, Pant and Du Plessis

Shreyas Iyer’s 641 runs in 21 innings make him third on the list. Iyer, who has captained Delhi Capitals and Kolkata Knight Riders, has been a model of consistency against SRH, with five fifties and a highest score of 82. His strength against spin has been key, picking lengths early and finding boundaries square of the wicket.

Rishabh Pant’s 626 runs include the highest individual score against SRH: a breathtaking unbeaten 128 in 2018 for Delhi Daredevils. That innings, played at the Arun Jaitley Stadium, remains one of the great IPL knocks, full of one-handed sixes and audacious ramps against a quality attack. Pant averages 44.71 against SRH, the best average in the top ten.

Faf du Plessis has 624 runs in 20 innings with six fifties, the joint-most fifties against SRH. The South African’s adaptability, opening for CSK and later RCB, allowed him to attack SRH’s new-ball bowlers and then milk their spinners.

The Supporting Cast: Rana, Rahane, Watson, Rayudu and ABD

Nitish Rana’s 614 runs in 18 innings show a batter who quietly feasted on SRH bowling, with five fifties at a strike rate above 140. Ajinkya Rahane’s 582 runs in 24 innings tell a different story: the classical technician grinding out runs at a strike rate under 110, proving that even against express pace, timing and placement have their place.

Shane Watson’s 566 runs include an unbeaten 117, one of the great IPL centuries. The Australian all-rounder’s power game was perfectly suited to taking down SRH’s attack, and his 1 century and 3 fifties came at a strike rate of 144.38.

Ambati Rayudu’s 549 runs include an unbeaten 100, scored for Chennai Super Kings. Rayudu’s 42.23 average against SRH is the second-best in the top ten, built on calm, calculated batting in the middle overs.

AB de Villiers rounds out the list with 540 runs at a strike rate of 155.17, the fastest scoring rate of anyone in the top ten. Mr 360 needed no introduction: his 89 not out remains one of the most destructive innings ever played against SRH, full of scoops, ramps and switch-hits that left their bowlers with no answers.

Centuries Against SRH

Only four batters have scored IPL centuries against Sunrisers Hyderabad:

Pant’s 128 not out stands as the highest individual score against SRH in IPL history. Remarkably, three of the five centuries came in 2018, a season when SRH’s attack, despite reaching the final, was taken apart on a few memorable nights.

Why Scoring Against SRH Is So Difficult

SRH’s bowling identity explains why this list is so exclusive. In their pomp, they could call on Bhuvneshwar Kumar’s swing with the new ball, Rashid Khan’s mystery spin in the middle overs, and a battery of death-overs specialists. Small wonder that the bowlers’ equivalent list, the most wickets against SRH in IPL history, is just as hard-earned.

The batters who succeeded shared common traits: exceptional skill against spin (Samson, Iyer, Rayudu), the ability to score 360 degrees (de Villiers, Pant), or sheer power and timing (Kohli, Watson). Notably, none of the top ten is a bowler-friendly plodder; every one of them strikes above 129, and most above 140.

The 2024 season saw SRH reinvent themselves as a batting powerhouse, but their bowling DNA remains. Travis Head and Abhishek Sharma’s fireworks changed the team’s character, yet the franchise still produces quality quicks.

Who Could Climb the List Next?

With Samson and Kohli separated by just 12 runs, the top spot could change hands in a single match. Beyond them, the chasing pack needs sustained excellence: Shreyas Iyer is nearly 260 runs behind Kohli, a gap that would take at least two full seasons to close.

Younger batters like Abhishek Sharma and Travis Head score heavily but play for SRH themselves, so they cannot add to this particular list. The next genuine challengers will likely come from the current generation of Indian middle-order batters who face SRH twice a season.

For now, the mountain belongs to Sanju Samson, with Virat Kohli in hot pursuit. Their tallies sit well below the all-time record for the most runs in IPL history, which shows just how difficult SRH have been to score against. Given how rarely batters dominate their attack, both records deserve their place among the IPL’s great batting achievements.

Frequently Asked Questions

Who has scored the most runs against SRH in IPL history?

Sanju Samson holds the record with 901 runs in 26 innings against Sunrisers Hyderabad, at an average of 42.90 and a strike rate of 141.

Who is second on the list of most runs against SRH?

Virat Kohli is second with 889 runs in 26 innings, just 12 runs behind Samson, with one century and six fifties.

What is the highest individual score against SRH in the IPL?

Rishabh Pant’s unbeaten 128 for Delhi Daredevils in 2018 is the highest individual score against SRH in IPL history.

How many centuries have been scored against SRH in the IPL?

Five centuries: Rishabh Pant (128*), Shane Watson (117*), Sanju Samson (102*), Virat Kohli (100) and Ambati Rayudu (100*).

Who has the best strike rate against SRH among the top run-scorers?

AB de Villiers has the best strike rate at 155.17, scoring 540 runs in 17 innings against SRH.

Why is it difficult to score runs against SRH?

SRH built their identity around elite bowling, from Dale Steyn and Bhuvneshwar Kumar to Rashid Khan. Between 2016 and 2020 they reached the playoffs every season on the strength of their attack.