NEW DELHI: On a night where the ball flew to all corners of the stadium and fans barely had a moment to catch their breath, Sunrisers Hyderabad lit up the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium in Hyderabad, with a jaw-dropping run-chase that will go down as one of the greatest in IPL history. Chasing a daunting target of 246 set by Punjab Kings, Sunrisers Hyderabad romped home by 8 wickets and 9 balls to spare—registering the second-highest successful run chase in IPL history.
It was a carnage orchestrated by Abhishek Sharma, who batted like a man possessed.
The left-hander smashed a breathtaking 141 off just 55 deliveries, laced with 14 fours and 10 sixes, at a mind-boggling strike rate of 256.36. The aggression, audacity, and sheer clean striking from Abhishek left the Punjab bowlers clueless and the crowd in absolute raptures.
Travis Head gave SRH the perfect start, smashing 66 off 37 with 9 fours and 3 sixes. His fearless approach ensured the asking rate never spiraled out of control.
The duo added a 171-run opening stand in just 12.2 overs, setting the tone for the mammoth chase.
Earlier, Punjab Kings too put on a batting spectacle.
Young Priyansh Arya continued his impressive season, hammering 36 off 13 balls, while Prabhsimran Singh struck 42 off 23. But it was skipper Shreyas Iyer who stood tall with a dazzling 82 off 36 balls, supported by cameos from Nehal Wadhera (27 off 22) and Stoinis (34* off 11) as PBKS piled up a massive 245/6 in 20 overs.
SRH’s bowlers were taken to the cleaners, with Harshal Patel picking up 4 wickets but leaking 42 runs. Eshan Malinga chipped in with two wickets, including a pinpoint yorker to dismiss Prabhsimran.
But the night belonged to Abhishek.
His clean hitting, coupled with Head’s aggression and Klaasen’s finishing (21* off 14), ensured SRH made light work of the target.