Punjab Kings head into Saturday’s IPL encounter in Mullanpur with a clear intent: play as a unit against a Sunrisers Hyderabad side packed with talent, yet one that has repeatedly failed to stay consistent. After an opening phase that has already contained its share of frustration, PBKS will feel they dropped two points when rain denied them a win against Kolkata Knight Riders, forcing the match to end in a shared result. Even so, the way they have approached games has offered plenty of encouragement, with Shreyas Iyer leading a group that looks comfortable both in pursuit and in pressure situations.
PBKS’s confidence has been built on performances that resemble what winning teams are supposed to do. They have shown the ability to chase down demanding totals with ease, including a dominant run chase against Chennai Super Kings in a match played in front of a sea of yellow. They have also handled the challenges of tricky conditions, including overcoming former champions Gujarat Titans on a surface that didn’t make batting straightforward. That combination of nerve and execution has been a recurring theme for the franchise, even if the rain interruption against KKR still lingers as a missed opportunity.
They were also on track for a third consecutive victory at Eden Gardens against KKR, before the weather turned. Australian quick Xavier Bartlett had been causing damage, but heavy rain and a thunderstorm swept in at a critical moment, ultimately leaving both teams to settle for a point. For a side already learning to translate good starts into full results, the timing of that disruption will be particularly hard to accept.
Fresh off a breakthrough run-scoring season, opener-wicketkeeper Prabhsimran Singh has spoken to PBKS’s evolving mindset, which puts collective success ahead of individual milestones like the Orange or Purple Cap. That approach has been reinforced by contributions across departments, including Cooper Connolly, who remained unbeaten on 72 against Gujarat Titans, and Vijaykumar Vyshak, whose influence with the ball has been steadily growing. The team’s balance—batting depth paired with wicket-taking options—has helped them remain competitive even when a match doesn’t unfold perfectly.
Sunrisers Hyderabad, on the other hand, have struggled to find the same level of stability. Despite being widely associated with big-hitting batting and the ability to set imposing totals, SRH have faltered this season largely because their top order has collapsed too often. The pattern was visible in matches against RCB and LSG, when the threatening opening combination of Travis Head and Abhishek Sharma fell cheaply, leaving the middle order to pick up the pieces against pressure that builds quickly in T20 cricket.
SRH’s difficulties have also come with limited returns from some of their more established bowling options. Harshal Patel and Jaydev Unadkat have not been able to consistently make an impact, and in the contest against LSG, the batting efforts of Nitish Kumar Reddy and Heinrich Klaasen stood out as among the few bright spots. While the results have not gone their way, those performances suggest SRH still have the firepower to threaten totals—provided they can avoid losing wickets in clusters early.
Spinner Harsh Dubey has offered a more positive storyline, showing glimpses of quality during the powerplay. That early momentum is exactly where SRH need their bowlers to start turning matches, and he will be expected to continue that form as the tournament moves into its next phase. For SRH’s bowling group, creating pressure from the first overs could be the difference between chasing totals and defending them.
Jaydev Unadkat, meanwhile, will be eager to bounce back after a tough outing in the most recent game. He conceded 50 runs in 23 balls and will feel there was an opportunity to do better, particularly after being tasked with defending nine runs in the final over against LSG. Even with the left-arm pace offering control at times, he could not stop the opposition from finishing the job, and he will be looking to make amends in Mullanpur.
Probable squads
- Punjab Kings: Shreyas Iyer (c), Arshdeep Singh, Priyansh Arya, Pyla Avinash, Azmatullah Omarzai, Xavier Bartlett, Yuzvendra Chahal, Cooper Connolly, Praveen Dubey, Ben Dwarshuis, Lockie Ferguson, Harnoor Singh, Harpreet Brar, Marco Jansen, Musheer Khan, Vishal Nishad, Mitchell Owen, Prabhsimran Singh (wk), Shashank Singh, Marcus Stoinis, Suryansh Shedge, Vishnu Vinod, Vijaykumar Vyshak, Nehal Wadhera, Yash Thakur.
- Sunrisers Hyderabad: Ishan Kishan (c & wk), Abhishek Sharma, Amit Kumar, Salil Arora, Brydon Carse, Pat Cummins, Harsh Dubey, Krains Fuletra, Travis Head, Praful Hinge, Heinrich Klaasen, Liam Livingstone, Eshan Malinga, Kamindu Mendis, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Harshal Patel, David Payne, Sakib Hussain, Shivam Mavi, Shivang Kumar, Ravichandran Smaran, Onkar Tarmale, Jaydev Unadkat, Aniket Verma, Zeeshan Ansari.
