Yesterday Match Result: SRH pummel PBKS! Klaasen, Kishan and Cummins overpower Shreyas Iyer’s side

HYDERABAD: The match between Sunrisers Hyderabad and Punjab Kings — two teams with the most explosive batting line-ups in this edition of the IPL — barely lived up to expectations on a wicket that had seen India pile up 297 against Bangladesh in Oct 2024, and last season, SRH had threatened to breach 300.

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It turned out to be a good toss to lose for Pat Cummins here on Wednesday as Marco Jansen was subjected to heavy shelling by Abhishek Sharma, Travis Head, Ishan Kishan (55; 32b, 2x4, 5x6) and Heinrich Klaasen (69; 43b, 3x4, 4x6). The Sunrisers cruised to 235/4 and effectively killed the contest after reducing Punjab to 23/3 in four overs.

Skipper Cummins was brilliant with the ball and in the field, and the 33-run win took SRH to the top of the table. Impact player Priyansh Arya succumbed yet again to a short delivery and Nitish Reddy, back in the side after missing the previous match against Kolkata Knight Riders, struck in the second over to get rid of Prabhsimran Singh. The reliable Eshan Malinga dismissed skipper Shreyas Iyer — both skiers calmly pouched by Cummins at mid-off — and Punjab were down for the count.

Marcus Stoinis lived and perished by the left-arm wrist spin of Shivang Kumar. And just as Cooper Connolly (107*; 59b, 7x4, 3x6) threatened to cut loose during his 40-run stand with Stoinis and the 47-run partnership with Suryansh Shedge, gleaning 35 runs off Harsh Dubey and Shivang’s two overs, a superb Cummins scalped Shedge and tightened the screws.

Despite Connolly’s valiant effort, Punjab needed 145 in the last 10 overs — 49 from the last over — and the reprieve he got from Shivang when on 63 did not help Punjab as much as their largesse in the field helped the Sunrisers earlier.

Kishan got two reprieves — on nine by Connolly off Lockie Ferguson and again on 18 by Ferguson off Yuzvendra Chahal — and Klaasen was also let off on nine by Shashank Singh at fine leg off Chahal.

Ferguson’s extra pace had the desired effect in Abhishek miscuing his drive on 35 (13b, 2x4, 4x6), but with Arshdeep, Jansen and Vijaykumar Vyshak’s deliveries sitting up and begging to be hit, the Punjab attack was cannon fodder for the Sunrisers’ batsmen as they built on a good powerplay of 79/1 to cruise to 118/2 at the halfway stage.

The cutters with the old ball helped Punjab to an extent in stemming the run flow till Kishan hit Vyshak for 21 runs in the 14th over.