In a thrilling encounter at the Maharaja Yadavindra Singh International Cricket Stadium, Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) secured a narrow 2-run victory over Punjab Kings (PBKS) in their IPL 2024 clash. After posting a 183-run target for the hosts in Chandigarh, Hyderabad fended off a late comeback attempt from the PBKS’ uncapped Indian duo of Shashank Singh and Ashutosh Sharma; despite needing 29 runs off the last six balls, the PBKS came excruciatingly close to chasing down the target before Jaydev Unadkat held his nerves to deliver a win for the Sunriers.
A match-defining moment in the game, however, came in the fifth over when Bhuvneshwar Kumar bowled a fuller delivery outside off, enticing Dhawan to step down the track. With wicketkeeper Heinrich Klaasen standing up to the stumps, Dhawan missed the ball completely, allowing Klaasen to display his lightning-quick reflexes. In a flash, Klaasen collected the ball and broke the stumps, sending Dhawan back to the pavilion.
What made the stumping even more impressive was that the delivery was bowled at a quick 140kph pace.
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Chasing a target of 183, Punjab Kings got off to a shaky start, losing wickets early in the powerplay due to some uncharacteristic shot selections. By the end of the sixth over, PBKS found themselves three down with a modest total pf 27 on the board, marking the lowest powerplay score of the season.
Sikandar Raza and Sam Curran then steadied the innings with a 38-run partnership, but Curran’s dismissal halted their progress again. Raza then took charge, pushing the innings forward alongside Shashank Singh. Jitesh Sharma contributed a quick 19 off just 11 balls to inject some momentum, keeping PBKS in the hunt.
The match-winners from the previous game, Ashutosh Sharma and Shashank Singh, almost pulled off a sensational victory. Ashutosh played a blistering knock of 33 off 15 balls, while Shashank anchored the chase with a superb 46 off 25 deliveries.
Despite their valiant efforts, PBKS required 29 runs in the last over, a task they fell just short of achieving, ultimately losing by a narrow margin of two runs.
SRH 5th on the table
There was no change in SRH’s position in the points table but they have now taken a two-point lead over Punjab Kings, who also remain sixth. The SRH are now level on points with the Kolkata Knight Riders, Lucknow Super Giants, and Chennai Super Kings (all on six points).
