New Delhi [India], April 18 (ANI): As the Indian Premier League (IPL) turns 18 on Friday, let's take a moment and have a look at the highest aggregate encounters in the history of the cash-rich league.

The league started in 2008 with Brendon McCullum of Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) litting up the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium with an unforgettable 158* off just 73 deliveries, smashing ten fours and thirteen sixes against Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB). That knock announced the arrival of a cricketing carnival.

The talk about the league's best players can go on and on. Over the years, several players, both Indian and overseas, capped and uncapped, have made their impact in this competition. The league has provided several talented individuals with the opportunity to showcase their abilities and secure a spot on their respective national teams. On the other side, several international heavyweights have expanded and diversified their legacies after delivering power-packed performances in the IPL, which have resulted in them winning the trophy for their side or getting other honours like Orange Cap (for most runs), Purple Cap (for most wickets), Player of the Tournament award etc.

On this day in the Indian cricketing history, let's take a look at the highest aggregate encounters of the competition so far:

--- Royal Challengers Bengaluru vs Sunrisers Hyderabad (549 runs in IPL 2024)

As per the ESPNcricinfo, batting first in the Indian Premier League 2024, the Sunrisers Hyderabad went on to score the tournament's highest score as they slammed a massive total of 287 runs for the loss of just three wickets. This score was made with the help of knocks from Travis Head (102 runs off 41 balls), Heinrich Klassen (67 runs from 31 balls), Abdul Samad (37* runs in 10 balls), Abhishek Sharma (34 runs off 22 balls) and Aiden Markram (32* runs from 17 balls).

In reply to chasing a mammoth total of 287 runs, the Bengaluru franchise fell short of the target by 25 runs as they were able o score 262/7 in their 20 overs. The scorers for the side in this game were Dinesh Karthik (83 runs off 35 balls), Faf Du Plessis (62 runs from 28 balls), and Virat Kohli (42 runs in 20 balls).

--- Sunrisers Hyderabad vs Rajasthan Royals (528 runs in IPL 2025)

Sunrisers Hyderabad were put to bat first by RR, who opted to field first. A 45-run stand between Abhishek (24 in 11 balls, with five fours) and Head kickstarted things for SRH. An 85-run stand between Head (67 in 31 balls, with nine fours and three sixes) and Kishan accelerated the run-rate. Cameos came from Nitish Kumar Reddy (30 in 15 balls, with four boundaries and a six) and Heinrich Klaasen (34 in 14 balls, with five fours and a six) and provided good support to Ishan, who ended with 106* in 47 balls, with 11 fours and six sixes.

During the run-chase, Rajasthan Royals sunk to 24/2, with Yashasvi Jaiswal and skipper Riyan Parag going back to the pavilion for single-digit scores. However, a fighting 111-run partnership between Sanju Samson (66 in 37 balls, with seven fours and four sixes) and Dhruv Jurel (70 in 35 balls, with five fours and six sixes) gave RR a fighting chance. Shimron Hetmyer (42* in 23 balls, with four and four sixes) and Shubham Dubey (34* in 11 balls, with a four and four sixes) did put an 80-run stand, but the score was too big for RR, and they ended at 242/6, losing the game by 44 runs.

--- Sunrisers Hyderabad vs Mumbai Indians (523 runs in IPL 2024)

Sunrisers Hyderabad were put to bat first by Mumbai Indians. MI got Mayank Agarwal (11) early. But fiery knocks came from Travis Head (62 in 24 balls, with nine fours and three sixes), Abhishek Sharma (63 in 23 balls with three fours and seven sixes) that powered SRH to 148/2 in their 10 overs. Abhishek-Head put on a 68-run partnership for the second wicket.

Following a brief 48-run stand between Abhishek and Aiden Markram (42* in 28 balls, with two fours and a six), Heinrich Klaasen (80* in 34 balls, with four boundaries and seven sixes) formed a 116-run stand in 54 balls to take SRH to 277/3 in their 20 overs, the highest-ever IPL total.

Chasing 278, openers Rohit Sharma (26 in 12 balls, with a four and three sixes) and Ishan Kishan (34 in 13 balls, with two fours and three sixes) gave MI a fine start, racing to 56 in 3.2 overs.

After both openers were dismissed, Naman Dhir (30 in 14 balls, with two fours and two sixes) and Tilak Varma (64 in 34 balls, with two fours and six sixes) formed an 84-run stand, taking MI to 150 in 10.4 when Dhir was dismissed in an unbelievable counterattack.

Tilak kept fighting for MI along with skipper Hardik Pandya (24 in 20 balls, with a four and six), taking MI to 182/4 in 14.1 overs at the time of Tilak's dismissal.

--- Kolkata Knight Riders vs Punjab Kings (523 runs in IPL 2024)

Punjab Kings sent Kolkata Knight Riders to bat first after winning the toss. Following this, Sunil Narine (71 in 32 balls, with nine fours and four sixes) and Philip Salt (75 in 37 balls, with six sixes) delighted the Eden Gardens crowd with an exhilarating batting display and obliterated PBKS bowlers to power KKR to 261/6 in 20 overs.

During the run chase, Jonny Bairstow (108), Prabhsimran Singh (54 in 20 balls, with four boundaries and five sixes) and Shashank Singh (68* in 28 balls, with two fours and eight sixes) played an unbeaten knock to chase down the massive target with eight balls to spare and script history.

--- Delhi Capitals vs Mumbai Indians (504 runs in IPL 2024)

Mumbai Indians put Delhi Capitals to bat first after winning the toss. Openers Jake Fraser McGurk (84 in 27 balls, with 11 fours and six sixes) and Abhishek Porel (36 in 27 balls, with three fours and a six) had a quickfire 114-run opening stand in 45 balls. After their dismissals, Shai Hope (41 in 17 balls, with five sixes), skipper Rishabh Pant (29 in 18 balls, with two fours and two sixes), Tristan Stubbs (48 in 25 balls, with six fours and two sixes) and Axar Patel (11* in six balls, with a six) continued scoring at a high run rate and took DC to 257/4 in their 20 overs.

For the Mumbai Indians, Tilak Varma scored 63 runs while skipper Hardik Pandya scored 46 for the five-time champions as they fell short of the target by just 10 runs. The Hardik Pandya-led side were able to score 247 runs for the loss of nine wickets in their 20 overs. (ANI)