Mullanpur, April 11
Half-centuries from Prabhsimran Singh, Priyansh Arya and skipper Shreyas Iyer helped Punjab Kings continue their dominant run in the Indian Premier League 2026, chasing down 220 runs against Sunrisers Hyderabad at Mullanpur on Saturday.
Put to bat first by PBKS, SRH scored 219/4, largely powered by a hard-hitting 120-run stand between Abhishek Sharma (74 in 28 balls, with five fours and eight sixes) and Travis Head (38 in 23 balls, with five fours and a six). During the chase, scintillating knocks from Priyansh Arya (57 in 20 balls, with five fours and five sixes), Prabhsimran Singh (51 in 25 balls, with four boundaries and four sixes), and skipper Iyer (69* in 33 balls, with five fours and five sixes) powered PBKS to the target in 18.5 overs with six wickets in hand.
CSK is at the second spot in the table, with three wins and a no result, giving them seven points. SRH is at the sixth spot, losing three of their four games and winning just one. This marks a record-extending 10th chase of 200-plus runs for PBKS in the IPL.
During the run-chase of 220 runs, PBKS chose to play fire with fire. Priyansh Arya started off with two fours and a six against spinner Harsh Dubey in the first over, looting a total of 18 runs. On the other side, Prabhsimran Singh also feasted on the pace of Eshan Maling and Jaydev Unadkat, smoking the latter for two sixes in the fourth over. PBKS reached the 50-run mark in 3.3 overs.
The two powerful Ps of PBKS continued to rack up runs against Eshan, collecting two fours and a six in the fifth over, taking the score to 72. In the final over of the powerplay, Priyansh unleashed a brutal beatdown on Harshal Patel, smashing him for two fours and sixes each in his first over. At the end of six overs, PBKS was 93/0, with Priyansh reaching his fifty in just 16 balls, the second-fastest for PBKS. His knock had five fours and four sixes.
It was Shivang Kumar who ended the raging 99-run stand, getting Priyansh caught by Nitish Kumar Reddy for a 20-ball 57, consisting of five fours and sixes each in the next over. PBKS reached the 100-run mark in 6.3 overs.
In the ninth over, Shivang also managed to get the big fish, Prabhsimran, caught by Heinrich Klaasen for a 25-ball 51, with four boundaries and four sixes. PBKS was 117/2 in 8.5 overs. The bowler continued his happy streak by getting in-form Cooper Connolly caught by Aniket Verma at long-off for a 12-ball 11. PBKS was 128/3 in 10.2 overs.
Skipper Shreyas Iyer continued his fiery attack, bringing PBKS to 150-run mark in 12 overs. He started to build a partnership with Nehal Wadhera. In the 15th over, Iyer belted Harshal for a six, four and six over long-on, bringing up the 50-run stand in 28 balls.
In the 16th over, Iyer continued to brutalise pace, collecting two sixes and a four against Eshan, bringing up his second successive fifty in 24 balls, with four boundaries and four sixes.
The 69-run stand was ended by Dubey, who cleaned up Wadhera for a run-a-ball 14. The form woes continued for the talented Punjab left-hander, as PBKS was 197/4 in 16.1 overs.
Shashank Singh and skipper Iyer (69* in 33 balls, with five fours and five sixes) ended the chase at 223/4 in 18.5 overs.
Shivang (3/33) was the pick of the bowlers for SRH.
SRH's innings was marked by aggressive strokeplay upfront, record-breaking powerplay, and a commanding platform that eventually helped SRH cross the 200-run mark despite a brief fightback from PBKS bowlers in the middle and death overs.
Ahead of the start of the match, Punjab Kings players wore black armbands, as a mark of respect for those affected by the tragic boat accident in Vrindavan. The franchise stands in solidarity with the grieving families and the community during this difficult time.
Coming to SRH's batting, the explosive opening pair of Abhishek Sharma and Travis Head once again set the tone for the side, tearing into the PBKS attack with aggressive intent from the outset. Abhishek in particular was at his destructive best, racing to a rapid fifty and continuing well beyond, putting the bowlers under sustained pressure.
During the third over. Arshdeep Singh leaked 24 runs, all of them sixes from Abhishek as Hyderabad raced away to 44. During the fourth ball of the fifth over, Abhishek Sharma completed his half-century in just 18 deliveries, with five fours and five sixes.
Travis Head and Abhishek Sharma's clean hitting with fearless stroke play to push SRH well past the 100-run mark inside the powerplay phase in 5.5 overs. In this over bowled by Xavier Bartlett, Travis collected a hat-trick of fours against fellow Aussie, and Abhishek brought up the 100-run mark in 5.5 overs with a six over deep mid-wicket.
SRH also registered the third-highest 100-plus scores in overs 1-6 in the IPL. They hammered 105/0 against PBKS. This is also their third 100-plus total inside power play. No other team has breached the 100-mark more than once in this phase in Men's T20s (where data available).
Punjab Kings, however, found some relief through occasional breakthroughs. During the ninth over, Shashank Singh first dismissed Travis Head for 38 off 23 balls, with five fours and one six. SRH was 120/1 in 8.1 overs.
On the third delivery of the over, Shashank took the massive wicket of Abhishek, who departed after playing a fine knock of 28-ball 74. Abhishek hammered five fours and eight towering sixes. SRH was down 122/2 in 8.3 overs.
Despite that, the scoring momentum remained firmly with Hyderabad, thanks to the strong start as SRH scored 132/2 after the end of 10 overs.
During the last ball of the 14th over, Arshdeep Singh removed Hyderabad captain Ishan Kishan for 27 off 17 balls, with three fours and a six. Hyderabad scored 176/3 in 15 overs and reached a commanding position
Towards the end, SRH lost momentum after they lost wickets at regular intervals. Aniket Verma (18), Salil Arora (9), and Heinrich Klaasen (39 in 33 balls, with a four and a six) could not convert their starts as Hyderabad made 219/6 in 20 overs.
For Punjab, Arshdeep (2/50), Bartlett (1/42), and Shashank Singh (2/20) were among the wicket-takers.
Brief Scores: SRH: 219/4 (Abhishek Sharma 74, Heinrich Klaasen 39, Shashank Singh 2/20) lost to PBKS: 223/4 in 18.5 overs (Shreyas Iyer 69*, Priyansh Arya 57, Shivang Kumar 3/33).
- ANI
Reader Comments
We welcome thoughtful discussions from our readers. Please keep comments respectful and on-topic.
Leave a Comment