NEW DELHI: Abhishek Sharma delivered a stellar performance against Punjab Kings, smashing an explosive half-century to lead Sunrisers Hyderabad to a four-wicket victory in the IPL on Sunday.
After electing to bat on a flat track, Punjab Kings set an imposing target of 214/5, thanks to Prabhsimran Singh’s 45-ball 71 and skipper Jitesh Sharma’s heroics in the final over.
Despite losing Travis Head to a golden duck on the first ball, SRH maintained control of the chase, reaching the target with five balls to spare. This win elevated SRH to second place in the table with 17 points from 14 matches, pending the outcome of the Kolkata Knight Riders versus Rajasthan Royals match. Rajasthan, with 16 points, could overtake SRH for the No. 2 spot with a win in Guwahati. Finishing in the top two provides teams with an extra chance to reach the final.
Abhishek Sharma played with remarkable ease, scoring a 21-ball fifty, his third half-century of the season. He hit six sixes and five boundaries in his 66-run knock from 28 balls, shifting the game in SRH’s favor. Contributions from Henrich Klaasen (42 off 26 balls), Rahul Tripathi (33 off 18 balls), and Nitish Reddy (37 off 25 balls) further solidified their dominance.
Shashank Singh dismissed Abhishek with a slower ball, which he edged to Shivam Singh at covers. However, with SRH at 129/2 at the halfway mark, the chase seemed a mere formality. Klaasen maintained the momentum, hitting three fours and two sixes before being bowled by Harpreet Brar in the final over. SRH needed just seven runs from 10 balls at that point, and Sanvir Singh sealed the win with a boundary on the first ball of the final over.
Earlier, Arshdeep Singh gave PBKS a strong start by dismissing Travis Head for a golden duck. Despite this early setback, SRH remained composed. Rahul Tripathi quickly seized the momentum with an 18-ball 33, hitting Rishi Dhawan for two fours and a six in succession. Abhishek Sharma then dominated Arshdeep, hitting two fours and a six, as SRH raced to 50 runs within four overs.
Although Harshal Patel conceded 22 runs in his first over, he managed to dismiss Tripathi with a slower ball. Nonetheless, with SRH at 72/2 after five overs, they continued to build on their strong start. Klaasen’s arrival ensured they recorded their third highest powerplay score of 84/2.
PBKS had a promising start with the new opening pair of Prabhsimran Singh and Atharva Taide, who added 97 runs from 55 balls. Prabhsimran hit seven fours and four sixes for his 45-ball 71, while Taide scored 46 off 27 balls with five fours and two sixes. After Taide’s departure, Prabhsimran and Rilee Rossouw added 54 off 32 balls to maintain the momentum.
At 151/1 in 14 overs, PBKS seemed to be in control until leg-spinner Vijayakanth Viyaskanth dismissed Prabhsimran with a quicker delivery caught by Klaasen. Cummins then took the wicket of Rossouw, leaving two new batters, Jitesh Sharma and Ashutosh Sharma, at the crease. T Natarajan removed the in-form Ashutosh in the penultimate over, and PBKS lost four wickets for 44 runs in the last five overs. Jitesh’s late assault, scoring 32 not out from 15 balls, including two sixes in the final over bowled by Nitish Kumar Reddy, helped PBKS reach a competitive total.
