Sunrisers Hyderabad looked on course to smash through the 300-run mark, but Punjab Kings’ bowlers strangled the chase by making the Powerplay ugly and then holding their nerve. SRH were restricted to 219/6 in 20 overs, and once that target was posted, the Punjab batters took over—setting up a comfortable six-wicket win for PBKS in New Chandigarh on Saturday, April 11.
Quick facts
- Match result: Punjab Kings won by 6 wickets
- Date: Saturday, April 11
- Venue: New Chandigarh
- Sunrisers Hyderabad: 219/6 (20 overs)
- Punjab Kings: 223/4 (18.5 overs)
- SRH top scores: Abhishek Sharma 74 (28), Heinrich Klaasen 39 (33), Travis Head 38 (23)
- PBKS bowling highlight: Shashank Singh 2/20
- PBKS top scores: Shreyas Iyer 69* (33), Priyansh Arya 57 (20), Prabhsimran Singh 51 (25)
- SRH bowling highlight: Shivang Kumar 3/33
Brief scores: SRH made 219/6 in their 20 overs, with Abhishek Sharma striking 74 off 28 balls, Travis Head contributing 38 off 23, and Heinrich Klaasen scoring 39 off 33. Shashank Singh’s figures of 2/20 helped PBKS keep things tight, and Punjab chased down 223/4 in 18.5 overs to win, powered by Shreyas Iyer’s unbeaten 69 off 33, Priyansh Arya’s 57 off 20, and Prabhsimran Singh’s 51 off 25. Shivang Kumar finished with 3/33 for SRH.
Who starred for SRH with the bat?
Abhishek Sharma and Travis Head were the main catalysts for SRH, and it pretty much told the story of the innings. Abhishek played with real aggression on his home turf, taking apart Arshdeep Singh, who struggled to find a steady line and paid for it with six wides across the opening two overs.
A 24-run third over shifted the momentum further, before Abhishek punished Vijaykumar Vyshak for four sixes in the fifth. His 18-ball fifty—his first in IPL 2026—was the spark that reignited his scoring against the very opposition he’d torched last year, including a 141. Head kept up the pressure too, even when he wasn’t the lead scorer, as SRH powered through the Powerplay with 105 runs.
So why did SRH finish at 219?
The answer came from Shashank Singh, an unlikely game-changer with the ball. He returned 2/20 in his spell, first slowing the flow with a quiet seventh over, then striking in the ninth by removing both Travis Head and Abhishek Sharma.
After the Powerplay, Ishan Kishan and Heinrich Klaasen took time to settle, and only 46 runs arrived across the six overs that followed. Kishan was dismissed by a one-handed, nonchalant grab by Marco Jansen, while Klaasen struggled to accelerate despite attempting multiple shots. With the chase still within reach, PBKS shifted into control mode—pacing the batting-friendly moments by landing yorkers effectively—and that discipline kept SRH’s total at 219.
How did PBKS reply with their batting?
Punjab’s chase began with intent: if SRH’s Abhishek and Head could attack, then Priyansh Arya and Prabhsimran Singh could do the same. Arya took on the left-arm spin of Harsh Dubey early, but that plan turned sour when Kishan was struck by an 18-run over—and even a burnt review—prompting a difficult start for Sunrisers.
Prabhsimran then asserted himself, creating his own length and striking through the line of the ball, while Arya found rhythm by punishing Harshal Patel in a 21-run fifth over. SRH’s Powerplay total of 105 was not fully matched, but PBKS posted 93/0 in that phase, which was already enough to steer the game beyond SRH’s reach.
With Arya bringing up a 16-ball half-century, PBKS kept the scoreboard moving and took control firmly, ensuring SRH couldn’t claw the chase back.
Captain Shreyas steers the chase again
Shivang Kumar offered SRH a brief lift, dismissing Arya shortly after the Powerplay, and then adding the wickets of Prabhsimran Singh and Cooper Connolly. Yet the asking rate never truly bothered PBKS, largely because skipper Shreyas Iyer stayed composed while others accelerated around him.
He played out Shivang’s overs intelligently, allowing the pressure to build at the other end. Shreyas then attacked—hitting Nitish Kumar Reddy and also going after Harshal on either side of Shivang’s spell. After striking two sixes and a four off Harshal in the 15th over, PBKS required just 41 off the remaining five.
From there, Eshan Malinga had to face the brunt of the finish, conceding 18 as the chase closed out. Shreyas completed a fine half-century, and Shashank provided the final touches—having initially helped engineer SRH’s slowdown with the ball.
Where do the teams head next?
Both sides now turn to their next assignments. SRH return home to take on the high-flying Rajasthan Royals on Monday, April 13. PBKS head to the Wankhede Stadium on Thursday, April 16, where they will play the Mumbai Indians, who await them in the next fixture.
