Chandigarh: When Sunrisers Hyderabad come to town, it is only understandable that the focus is on their explosive opening pair of Abhishek Sharma and Travis Head. Besides, Abhishek is also on home turf. For both the batters, this has not been a smooth season for country or club.
On Saturday it was as their astonishing 120-run partnership in 8.1 overs promised for a while to eclipse a few records. However, Punjab Kings fought back and their own opening pair Priyansh Arya and Prabhsimran Singh struck excellent fifties to take the team to a six-wicket victory at New Chandigarh.
SRH’s 219/6 seemed a tad short after the early scoring barrage, and PBKS skipper Shreyas Iyer took over after a 99-run opening stand. He top-scored with 69* off 33 balls to hand his team a six-wicket win, reaching 223/4 in 18.5 overs. It was the third win for the unbeaten PBKS (one No Result) while SRH suffered their third defeat in four games.
Abhishek blasted 74 off just 28 balls (SR 264.29). Alongside Head (38 off 23), they Powerplay phase alone yielded a staggering 105 runs. PBKS pacer Arshdeep Singh, who is yet to take a wicket in the Powerplay phase this season, was among the bowlers at their wit’s end. He bowled a 10-ball over that went for 24 runs and included four wides.
Amid the mayhem caused by the SRH openers, a brief mid-pitch conference led to Shashank Singh taking over the responsibility, and he dismissed the openers in the space of three deliveries in that ninth over. It brought some control over the scoring rate.
Even after Abhishek’s dismissal, the momentum didn’t dip. Skipper Ishan Kishan’s brisk 27 and Heinrich Klaasen’s 39 followed by late cameos from Aniket Verma and others took SRH to 219.
But Priyansh (57-20b, 5×4, 5×6) and Prabhsimran (51-25b, 4×4,4×6) vindicated PBKS’ decision to chase, showing intent and belief in abundance. Arya put on a breathtaking display of clean hitting with Prabhsimran matching that tempo. It meant the chase was no longer daunting.
Although left-arm wrist spinner Shivang Kumar triggered a wobble with three wickets, including the openers, the platform had been laid.
Shreyas Iyer walked in and played with calm authority. His unbeaten knock (5×4, 5×6) was a masterclass in pacing under pressure—blending composure, precision and aggression. He rotated strike smartly, absorbed the pressure moments, and then accelerated with calculated boundaries that ensured the asking rate never spiralled.
Nehal Wadhera’s brief contribution kept things steady, but it was Iyer who anchored the innings with assurance. At the other end, Shashank Singh provided the finishing thrust with 16* off nine balls as the duo stitched together the final act of a memorable chase.
For SRH, apart from Shivang Kumar (3/33), the rest of the attack struggled to contain the run flow. Harshal Patel and Eshan Malinga proved expensive on a batter-dominated day.
PBKS were runners-up last season, but the skipper said a long road lay ahead in their ambition to win their maiden title.
“They’re (openers) delivering on the field. I keep saying every now and then that you have to be in the present. Ricky (Ponting) also gives a lot of importance to this. Even last year, we came so close to winning the trophy. This year, we want to lift it. It will take a lot of effort to envision that.”
Brief scores:
SRH 219/6 (Abhishek Sharma 74, Arshdeep Singh 2/50, Shashank Singh 2/20). PBKS 223/4 in 18.5 overs (Priyansh Arya 57, Prabhsimran Singh 51, Shreyas Iyer 69*, Shivang Kumar 3/33). PBKS won by 6 wkts.
