Daylight drama unfolded at Mullanpur Stadium on Saturday as Abhishek Sharma and Travis Head combined for a brutal display of power-hitting that left Punjab Kings shell-shocked. Sunrisers Hyderabad blazed to 120/0 in eight overs, with the opening phase alone reading 105/0 in six overs. Abhishek struck seven sixes during the Powerplay—adding up to eight maximums across the innings—while also matching the IPL mark for the most sixes hit in the first six overs of a campaign match.
Punjab Kings’ decision and the debut reshuffle
Punjab Kings, captained by Shreyas Iyer, asked Sunrisers Hyderabad to bat first in Match 17 of the Indian Premier League 2026. The game was played at the Maharaja Yadavindra Singh International Cricket Stadium in New Chandigarh on Saturday.
Sunrisers made a couple of alterations to their lineup: Praful Hinge came into the side for his IPL debut, taking the spot of Jaydev Unadkat. Salil Arora replaced Liam Livingstone as SRH adjusted their XI from the previous match.
Toss talk from both captains
At the toss, Iyer stated, “We’re going to bowl first. It’s a day game, and we obviously want to get a feel for how the wicket is going to play and get a fair idea. Other than that, that’s what we’ve been doing in the last couple of games, and we’ve been thriving on it. We just back each other and back all the youngsters in the team. The more you tell them, the more confusing it gets, so it’s better that they live in their own nature and express themselves. We’re going with the same team. Actually, bowling first, Priyansh comes in for Nehal.”
Iyer also shared that Priyansh Arya is part of the playing XI, while Nehal Wadhera could feature later as an Impact Substitute.
Sunrisers skipper Ishan Kishan said, “We would have loved to bowl first, but I think the wicket looks pretty hard. It’s about playing good cricket in the first innings. (On captaining) Obviously, it’s a big disadvantage for any team. Pat is a tremendous bowler and brings a lot of experience, but I still feel we’ve got a young side and young bowlers today. Hopefully, we’ll try to execute our plans, which is the most important thing in T20 cricket. There are two changes: Salil comes in for Livingstone, and Praful Hinge makes his debut in place of Jaydev Unadkat.”
Sunrisers’ Powerplay firepower and a record-setting run
SRH’s start was historic. The franchise recorded a world record by breaching the 100-run mark in the Powerplay for the third time in their IPL history. No other men’s T20 team has surpassed the 100 mark in the Powerplay more than once.
- SRH Powerplay score: 105/0 in six overs
- Full score at the end of eight overs: 120/0
- Abhishek Sharma: seven sixes in overs 1–6 (eight sixes overall in the innings)
- Abhishek Sharma matched the IPL record for most sixes in the Powerplay
Most sixes in overs 1–6 in an IPL innings
- 7 — Sanath Jayasuriya (MI) vs CSK, Mumbai WS, 2008
- 7 — Jos Buttler (RR) vs DC, Delhi, 2018 (rain-shortened game)
- 7 — Jonny Bairstow (PBKS) vs RCB, Brabourne, 2022
- 7 — Abhishek Sharma (SRH) vs PBKS, Mullanpur, 2026
100-plus scores in overs 1–6 in the IPL
- 125/0 — SRH vs DC, Delhi, 2024
- 107/0 — SRH vs LSG, Hyderabad, 2024
- 105/0 — SRH vs PBKS, Mullanpur, 2026
- 105/0 — KKR vs RCB, Bengaluru, 2017
- 100/2 — CSK vs PBKS, Mumbai WS, 2014
