Krunal Pandya-led Baroda etched their name in cricket history on Thursday during the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, delivering an unprecedented performance that shattered records and left fans in awe.
They posted an astonishing 349/5 against Sikkim, the highest total ever recorded in T20 cricket, at the Holkar stadium in Indore.
The innings was spearheaded by Bhanu Pania, who unleashed a breath-taking 134 not out off just 51 balls. His knock, decorated with 15 sixes and five boundaries, served as the backbone of Baroda's innings. The top-order batters joined the party, making it a collective onslaught against a hapless Sikkim attack.
Pania's heroics were supported by scintillating contributions from Shivalik Sharma (55 off 17), Abhimanyu Singh (53 off 17), Vishnu Solanki (50 off 16), and Shashwat Rawat (43 off 16).
Together, Baroda's batters smashed a staggering 37 sixes, setting another T20 record for the most sixes in a match, eclipsing the previous benchmark of 27 by Zimbabwe against Gambia earlier this year.
This remarkable total surpassed Zimbabwe's 344/4 against Gambia in Nairobi to become the highest score in T20 cricket.
The score also dwarfed the highest T20I total of 297/6 by India against Bangladesh and the domestic record of 287/3 by Sunrisers Hyderabad in the 2024 IPL.
Electing to bat first, Baroda set the tone early with their openers smashing 92 runs in just over five overs. Even the loss of both openers in the same over failed to disrupt the onslaught, as subsequent partnerships of 94 and 88 runs for the third and fifth wickets, respectively, powered them to the historic total.
Faced with a near-impossible target, Sikkim struggled from the outset, losing wickets at regular intervals. The Baroda bowlers complemented the team's batting heroics with a disciplined effort, restricting Sikkim to a mere 86/7 in 20 overs.
The 263 run victory margin is now the largest ever in Indian T20 cricket, smashing the previous record of 179 runs set by Andhra against Nagaland in 2019.
Speaking about the record-breaking performance, Bhanu Pania said, 'It's an incredible feeling to be part of history. The team effort today was phenomenal, and I'm just glad I could contribute.'
Krunal Pandya, the skipper, expressed pride in his team's achievement. 'The boys played fearless cricket today. Breaking records is a bonus, but our focus was on executing our plans, and it worked perfectly.'
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