In the days leading up to the clash with Punjab Kings, officials at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium sought divine intervention to end Sunrisers Hyderabad’s run of four defeats on the trot. The higher powers seemingly answered those prayers, as SRH beat the Kings by eight wickets on Saturday.
Among the 36,000-plus crowd was Lady Luck, who ensured the boisterous home fans finally had something to celebrate. Travis Head and Abhishek Sharma forged their best partnership to help SRH complete the second-biggest chase in IPL history.
The 24-year-old had two reprieves early when Marcus Stoinis failed to hold on to an acrobatic effort and Glenn Maxwell couldn’t find a direct hit with Abhishek halfway down the pitch. He then saw a catch at deep-backward point ruled out thanks to Yash Thakur overstepping his mark.
HIGHLIIGHTS | SRH VS PBKS
Abhishek brought up his half-century in just 19 balls. Head, who played second fiddle till the ninth over, then broke free, sending Maxwell over the ropes twice to put SRH halfway to victory just 52 balls into their innings.
Chahal’s dismissal of Head notwithstanding, Abhishek struck his maiden IPL ton in just 40 balls, celebrating with a message of love to the exuberant crowd. The Amritsar native then went on to register the highest score by an Indian (141) in the IPL.
By the time Arshdeep ended Abhishek’s stay in the middle, SRH was well on its way to its second win of the season, which Klaasen and Ishan Kishan sealed without a fuss.
Earlier, proceedings got off to a comical start with Ishan losing track of the ball on the sponsor mat, mustering a sheepish smile while being bailed out by Pat Cummins. However, things quickly turned grim for the host, with Kings plundering 53 runs in the first three overs.
After the openers fell, skipper Shreyas Iyer kept the tempo going, bringing up his fastest IPL half-century (22 balls). Harshal Patel’s four-wicket haul made inroads in the Kings’ charge before Stoinis clobbered four sixes in the final over off Mohammad Shami to end on a high.
But the SRH of old raised its hand and put the game to bed with ease.