Sunrisers Hyderabad captain Ishan Kishan during the match against PBKS on May 6, 2026. | Photo Credit: PTI
In a contest between two of the IPL’s most devastating batting units, the team that got the job done with the ball and on the field triumphed, a stark reminder of why the basics can never be forgotten, no matter how much pomp and pageantry becomes the norm.
A brilliant batting effort, helped in no small part by the Punjab Kings’ benevolent butter fingers in the field, helped Sunrisers Hyderabad to 235, a total that their bowling unit fiercely protected to claim a 33-run victory at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium and top the table.
Put into bat, Abhishek Sharma launched into Marco Jansen as Travis Head disdainfully dismantled Arshdeep Singh, with talk of an unfavorable matchup reduced to a mere footnote.
The Sunrisers rocketed past the 50-run mark in just 3.2 overs, the third-fastest in their history, before Lockie Ferguson broke through to remove Abhishek. The head fell to Yuzvendra Chahal’s googly, but not before taking SRH to over 70 in the PowerPlay for the seventh time this season, the most by any team.
And then, the field error ‘virus’ (as PBKS coach Ricky Ponting called it) appeared.
Ishan Kishan and Heinrich Klaasen, who stuttered nine each, got pardons from Cooper Connolly and Shashank Singh respectively. Kishan came off particularly well, with Ferguson wasting a chance and Prabhsimran missing a routine shot. The pair expressed their gratitude with a spirited half-century to set a target of 236 runs.
The PBKS chase was disappointingly unraveled before it could begin.
Priyansh Arya failed to catch a short delivery from Pat Cummins and Eshan Malinga completed a sharp catch in the deep. Nitish and Malinga then defeated Prabhsimaran Singh and Shreyas Iyer respectively, with Cummins taking both the catches.
Connolly continued to fight, forging partnerships with Marcus Stoinis, Suryansh Shedge and Marco Jansen, but to no avail. His maiden T20 hundred, in the end, might have reduced the margin of defeat, but it could not save the Kings from a worrying third consecutive defeat.
Published – May 6, 2026 10:42 pm IST
