SRH pile on 219 after explosive start, PBKS fight back late
Sunrisers Hyderabad finished with 219 for 6 after a sharp late pullback from Punjab Kings, but the damage had already been done in a brutal powerplay.
Asked to bat first, SRH came out attacking from the first over. Abhishek Sharma led the charge with clean hitting all around the ground, racing to a half-century in just 18 balls. Alongside Travis Head, he put on 105 runs inside six overs, one of the fastest starts in IPL history. Punjab’s bowlers struggled for control, with both pace and line missing early on.
Abhishek went on to score 74 off 28 balls before falling, while Head added 38. The opening stand broke the game open and pushed SRH towards a total well beyond 200.
Punjab claw back but total still steep
Punjab Kings managed to regain some control after the powerplay. Shashank Singh struck twice in one over to remove both openers, slowing the scoring rate for a brief period. The middle overs saw tighter bowling, with fewer boundaries and better discipline.
Heinrich Klaasen anchored the later phase with 39, while contributions from Ishan Kishan and others kept the scoreboard moving. However, wickets at regular intervals in the final overs prevented SRH from pushing closer to 230.
For Punjab, Arshdeep Singh picked up two wickets but remained expensive, while Xavier Bartlett closed the innings well with a tight final over.
Despite the late fightback, the early assault means Punjab now face a demanding chase of 220.