New Chandigarh, April 11
Punjab Kings assistant coach Brad Haddin said the team is yet to play its best cricket despite registering a convincing six-wicket win over Sunrisers Hyderabad in the 17th match of the Indian Premier League 2026 at the PCA New International Cricket Stadium in New Chandigarh on Sunday.
"Yeah, I think the pleasing thing at the moment is that we probably haven't played our best game. We haven't put everything together. We're getting the results we're after. As the tournament goes on, you want to be playing your best cricket," Haddin said to the broadcasters after the match.
Punjab Kings chased down a massive target of 220 in just 18.5 overs, thanks to explosive starts from Priyansh Arya and Prabhsimran Singh, followed by a composed unbeaten innings from captain Shreyas Iyer.
The match saw both teams dominate the Power-play with aggressive batting, making it a high-scoring contest from the start. "Well, I'm glad I'm not a bowler in the first six overs. That's for sure. I'd say everyone got their money's worth tonight. It was entertainment," Haddin noted.
However, he pointed out that the game shifted during the middle overs, where PBKS managed to regain control. "I think the one thing we did really well after those first six overs was that we stayed calm, and we got the game back, a little bit of momentum back in those middle overs. And having a look at both sides, the way they played in those middle overs, that's where it was won."
Earlier, Sunrisers Hyderabad had posted 219 after a strong start from Abhishek Sharma and Travis Head, who took the team past the 100-run mark inside the powerplay. But PBKS bowlers pulled things back by picking key wickets in the middle phase.
Haddin credited the team's calm approach and clarity in pressure situations. "That's exactly what Ricky spoke to the players about. They know their plans and just need to stay calm. You might be moving your feet quickly on the inside, and things might be bubbling up, but just stay calm, you know your plans, just execute those. And if you get one chance, then we jump on the game and try to pull it back, which we did in those middle overs," he said.
"And that's what we're speaking to the team about, making sure when we get to the back-end of the tournament, we're putting all three phases of the game together. And that's slowly starting to come together now," Haddin concluded.
With this win, PBKS remain unbeaten this season. They now have seven points from four matches, with one game against Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) abandoned due to rain. The 2025 runner-ups will now face the Mumbai Indians (MI) on April 16 at the iconic Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai.
- IANS
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