Follow UsWhen Punjab Kings (PBKS) put up 245 on the board against Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) in Hyderabad on April 12 (Saturday), they would have been quietly confident of getting over the line. However, they were up against a powerful SRH unit, who have not fired in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 consistently.
PBKS captain Shreyas Iyer thought his team's total was good, but he was amused by the fact that SRH chased down such a massive target with utmost ease.
"I think it was a fantastic total to be honest. Still making me laugh that they chased it with 2 [1.3] overs to spare. We could have taken a few catches, but he [Abhishek Sharma] was lucky. He was exceptional. In a nutshell we didn't bowl to our expectations, we have to go to the drawing board and make amends," Iyer said at the post-match presentation.
"The opening partnership [between Abhishek and Travis Head] was phenomenal, they didn't give us too many opportunities to capitalize. The over rotation could have been better from our side."
Abhishek Sharma smashed 141, which is the highest IPL score by an Indian player. He thanked his mentors, Yuvraj Singh and also Suryakumar Yadav, for helping him get out of a rut and finally score big.
"This one is very special and I was thinking that I wanted to break the losing streak, it was very tough as a player and as a youngster, but the mood in the team was very good. Special mention to Yuvi paaji [Yuvraj Singh], I have been talking to him and also thanks to Suryakumar Yadav as well. I have been in touch with him and he has been there for me," Abhishek said.
SRH got back to winning ways after losing four in a row. Skipper Pat Cummins lauded Abhishek's efforts saying that he did not want to change his recipe despite the team registering a string of low scores.
"Pretty big fan of his [Abhishek] batting. We didn't 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," Cummins said.
SRH will look to make in two in two when they take on Mumbai Indians (MI) on April 17 (Thursday) in Mumbai. PBKS, on the other hand, take on defending champions Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) in Mullanpur on April 15 (Tuesday).