The Punjab juggernaut continues with back-to-back 200 chases as SRH slump to their third defeat in four games
Until the 14th over of their 220-run chase in Mullanpur, the innings mirrored the Sunrisers’ effort from earlier in the evening. The openers had maximised the Powerplays before falling in succession, followed by a stark reflection on the scoring rates. The differences ended just about there, with skipper (69 not out of 33 balls) ensuring that the dip was only momentary for his side.
In two overs where the short-ball was put to the test, Iyer flipped the probes from and Eshan Malinga into a game-defining burst. He pummeled a typical Harshal slower-ball over deep square leg for six, setting off on a hot streak of 28 runs in seven balls that sealed the chase. Smiting the slingy Malinga off a similar length, 91 metres back over the deep mid-wicket stands, effectively stubbed the chase. Punjab would stroll home with seven balls to spare on a second 200-plus chase in succession. Loaded in the same code as their counterparts, Punjab openers Prabhsimran Singh and Priyansh Arya’s fifties had erased a hefty chunk of the chase, recording 93 in the first six overs. They peppered 18 boundaries between them, offering a smooth handover for Iyer to extend Punjab’s unbeaten run.
Oozing style and confidence 😎
Captain Shreyas Iyer took towards victory with such delightful shots 🙌
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The raging theme of the evening was the brutal Powerplay storm, which yielded nearly 45 per cent of the entire runs scored in the game.
The quality to dominate the phase continues to help Travis Head and return to beat ignominies as a pair.
Iyer’s men had cues to pick up from ’s previous home game when a crafty ’s slower-ball ploys plugged Head and Abhishek in 10 deliveries between them. When Abhishek followed a slash to the cover fence off a loose first delivery from with a watchful push to the off-side, the signs of willingness to temper choices were glimpsed.
Another opening pair setting the stage alight 🔥
🎥 Prabhsimran Singh and Priyansh Arya with some sizzling ball-striking ⚡️
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But two distinct 24-run overs in immediate succession would prevent the need for overt changes.
Arshdeep’s attempt to give his statemate a stiff test in their backyard was flattened by his own feeble deliveries. Two fours and as many 120 kph-ers blasted for sixes powered Abhishek back into overdrive, the memory of his first-ball duck from the previous game ditched conveniently.
Abhishek welcomed V Vysakh with a charge straight out of a video game for a six over extra cover. A balletic swing of the arms would send another ball soaring over long-off. Zooming past fifty in 18 balls with a six parried over long-on, Abhisek wrote 24 for the over with a hold-the-pose maximum down the ground at close. With Head conveniently reclined to pierce the gaps and Abhishek’s launchers powering the team past 100 in the Powerplay for the third time together. No team or pair has ever achieved this feat in T20s.
In the mood! 😌
🎥 Abhishek Sharma and Travis Head going BOOM early in New 👊
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assistant coach James Hopes calls Shashank Singh the “circuit breaker”, a crisis man gifted with magical wrists. He had sent down only three overs in 33 games before for Punjab, but in the here and now, Shashank seemed like the apt fit to cut pace on the ball. He bowled after the Powerplay. Head went first, deceived by the slower one that consigned his catch to long on. Shashank then produced that valuable recall. Wafting an angled delivery across the turf, Shashank nipped Abhishek (74) out at deep cover, as it did against the same bowler back in 2024, his only wicket until this evening.
An ingenious move and Punjab seamlessly assumed control. Jotted by a largely spotless seam rebound at the death, yielded only 28 from the last four overs of pace, unravelling more woes.
