Hyderabad (Telangana) [India], April 13 (ANI): Following his side’s win over Punjab Kings (PBKS), Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) skipper Pat Cummins hailed Abhishek Sharma’s knock, referring to himself as a “big fan” of left-hander’s batting.
Abhishek and Travis Head finally found their groove together, as they put on an ominous 171-run stand making a lightwork of the 246-run target set by PBKS at their home stadium of Uppal Stadium on Saturday. This is also the second-highest run chase in IPL history, with 262 chased by PBKS against defending champions Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) last year being at the top.
Speaking after the match in the post-match presentation, Cummins said, “Amazing. It suits our style and we know we are gonna get. It is a good wicket and the ball pings around here. Any over under 10, you feel like a big win as a bowler. It is kind of crazy that you feel semi-confident chasing that score. Pretty big fan of his (Abhishek) batting. We did not want to change the recipe. The batting group played quite a bit last year and we are confident of their abilities. They (the fans) are amazing, always waving the flags and great atmosphere.”
Coming to the match, PBKS won the toss and elected to bat first. A 66-run stand between Priyansh Arya (36 in 13 balls, with two fours and four sixes) and Prabhsimran Singh (42 in 23 balls, with seven fours and a six) started off things well for PBKS. Later, a half-century from skipper Shreyas Iyer (82 in 36 balls, with six fours and six sixes) and a final flourish from Marcus Stoinis (34* in 11 balls, with a four and four sixes) powered PBKS to 245/6 in their 20 overs.
Harshal Patel (4/42) and Eshan Malinga (2/45) were among the wicket-takers for SRH.
In the run-chase of 246 runs, Abhishek (141 in 55 balls, with 14 fours and 10 sixes) and Travis Head (66 in 37 balls, with nine fours and three sixes) started off well with a 171-run partnership. After Head was dismissed, Abhishek continued to rage while Heinrich Klaasen (21*) and Ishan Kishan (9*) put some finishing touches, chasing down the mammoth total.
This is also the second-highest run chase in IPL history, with 262 chased by PBKS against defending champions Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) last year being at the top. SRH has risen to the eighth spot with two wins and four losses while PBKS is at sixth place, with three wins and two losses. (ANI)
