Sunrisers Hyderabad catch Punjab unawares in a 33-run victory, surge to top of IPL table

Sunrisers Hyderabad took yet another step towards a berth in the IPL Playoffs after surging to the top of the table with a clinical 33-run win over Punjab Kings at the Rajiv Gandhi International Cricket Stadium in Hyderabad on Wednesday night.

The hosts bounced back in style from their loss against Kolkata Knight Riders as they decimated the Punjab challenge without much ado thanks to their batting prowess.

https://x.com/IPL/status/2052083515949477947?s=20

Punjab, on the other hand, crashed to their third consecutive loss as the team continued to stumble. After setting the early pace in the tournament, Punjab seem to have lost steam when it is most needed. From being the table-toppers, they have slid to the second position and are looking very vulnerable at the business end of the tournament.

Nitish Kumar Reddy put in an all-round show in Sunrisers’ 33-run win over Punjab Kings at the Rajiv Gandhi International Cricket Stadium in Hyderabad on Wednesday night

Chasing 236 for victory, Punjab had the wherewithal to do it, but Sunrisers’ skipper Pat Cummins had other ideas. He got rid of Priyansh Arya (1) off the sixth ball and Nitish had Prabhsimran Singh (3) caught by Cummins of the next ball. In the first seven balls of the innings, Punjab had lost the match.

https://x.com/IPL/status/2052081801724883112?s=20

With Shreyas Iyer (5) too departing soon, it was always going to be a tall order for Punjab to overhaul Sunrisers’ total. Cooper Connolly hammered his maiden T20 century to help Punjab Kings reach 202 for seven. Connolly, who waged a lone battle, remained unbeaten on 107 off 59 balls with seven fours and eight sixes. Connolly and Marco Jansen (19) shared a 68-run partnership for the seventh wicket to salvage some pride for Punjab.

Cooper Connolly, who waged a lone battle, remained unbeaten on 107 off 59 balls with seven fours and eight sixes

“When you lose the toss, you go against what you want. Got lucky with the catches. You saw how difficult Sakib was in the end. I think there’s enough in the wicket. We understand what we need to do. We’ve got some tricky surfaces coming up in Ahmedabad and Chennai. Cummins and Ishan have been brilliant this season. The main thing he brings is calmness,” said Sunrisers Hyderabad coach Daniel Vettori.

Sunrisers batters make merry as Punjab fielders have bad day

Earlier, put into bat, Abhishek Sharma and Travis Head strung yet another impactful opening partnership. The duo, who have been a nightmare for the rival bowlers, were off the mark quickly. They added 54 off just 21 balls with Abhishek getting 35 of those in 13 balls with two fours and four sixes.

Travis and Ishan Kishan then added 30 before Travis headed back to the dugout after a 19-ball 38.

Heinrich Klaasen joined Kishan and the duo made merry at the cost of the Punjab bowlers. Kishan and Klaasen added 88 off 48 balls as Sunrisers went on the rampage. Kishan fell after making a 32-ball 55 with two fours and four sixes but there was no respite for the Punjab bowlers.

Ishan Kishan made a a 32-ball 55 with two fours and four sixes to lay the foundation for Sunrisers Hyderabad’s big score

Klaasen and Nitish Kumar Reddy kept the momentum going with another impactful partnership. Runs came at will as they added 63 off 32 balls. Klaasen fell off the last ball of the innings for 69 off 43 balls and Nitish remained unbeaten on 29 off 13 balls.

Sunrisers Hyderabad posted a more than competitive 235 for four as the Punjab fielding was a big let down on the day.

“It was a bit too much because we dropped catches at the start. The wicket kept getting slower. They played comprehensive cricket and showed us how to win the match. I feel we got a fairytale start in the tournament, and everyone was in a great space… If we are going to continue with the same form, that’s not going to help us. Connolly is phenomenal. His mindset is top notch. He has got a knack of scoring big runs in pressure situations. The way Chahal bowled, he was fearless. I asked him to be attacking – especially when new batters were in. Unfortunately, we weren’t able to take catches,” rued Punjab skipper Shreyas Iyer.

Heinrich Klaasen made 69 to power Sunrisers Hyderabad to an imposing 235 for four against Punjab Kings. Pics: BCCI

Brief scores: Sunrisers Hyderabad 235 for four in 20 overs (Abhishek Sharma 35, Travis Head 38, Ishan Kishan 55, Heinrich Klaasen 69, Nitish Kumar Reddy 29 not out) beat Punjab Kings 202 for seven in 20 overs (Cooper Connolly 107 not out, Marcus Stoinis 28, Suryansh Shedge 25; Pat Cummins 2/34).