Mullanpur: In a nail-biting Indian Premier League (IPL) showdown, Sunrisers Hyderabad emerged victorious against Punjab Kings by a slender margin of two runs in a thrilling encounter held here on Tuesday.
Chasing a target of 183 runs for victory, Punjab Kings fell agonizingly short, managing 180 for 6 in their allotted overs. Shashank Singh displayed a valiant effort with the bat, top-scoring for Punjab Kings with an unbeaten 46 off just 25 deliveries. Ashutosh Sharma provided crucial support, remaining not out on 33 from 15 balls, but it was not enough to propel Punjab to victory. Contributions from Sam Curran (29) and Sikandar Raza (28) kept Punjab’s hopes alive, but they ultimately fell short of the target.
Bhuvneshwar Kumar starred with the ball for Sunrisers Hyderabad, claiming two crucial wickets while conceding 32 runs to put the brakes on Punjab’s chase.
Earlier, Punjab Kings’ bowler Arshdeep Singh wreaked havoc, picking up four wickets for 29 runs to restrict Sunrisers Hyderabad to 182 for 9. Despite a blistering 64 off 37 balls from Nitish Kumar Reddy, which included four boundaries and five sixes, Sunrisers struggled to find substantial partnerships. Abdul Samad contributed a vital 25 runs, but the lack of significant contributions from other batsmen limited SRH’s total.