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Heinrich Klaasen and Ishan Kishan, along with the rest of the batters, helped Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) continue their formidable run-scoring spree, posting a massive 235/4 in the 20 overs against Punjab Kings (PBKS) in their Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 match on Wednesday at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium.
Klaasen (69 runs off 43 balls) and Kishan (55 runs off 32 balls) scored crucial fifties after openers Travis Head and Abhishek Sharma gave them a solid start. For the PBKS bowlers, it was a tough outing as only Yuzvendra Chahal managed to go for anything under 10 runs per over. Despite PBKS skipper Shreyas Iyer winning the toss and opting to bowl first, the decision backfired as the SRH batters feasted on a flat Uppal deck. The "Orange Army" openers set the tone from the very first over. Abhishek Sharma (35 off 13) and Travis Head (38 off 19) attacked the PBKS bowlers with disdain. Abhishek looked particularly dangerous, striking four sixes before falling to Lockie Ferguson in the 4th over. By the end of the Powerplay, SRH had already raced to 79/1, establishing a dominant run rate of over 13 per over. Yuzvendra Chahal got rid of Travis Head, but not before he had made sure that SRH got a brilliant start, with a 38-run knock. After seven overs, SRH were 86/2. Following the departure of the openers, Ishan Kishan and Heinrich Klaasen took charge of the innings. Kishan, who survived three dropped catches, made the most of his lifelines to smash a blistering 55 off 32 balls, slamming four sixes and two boundaries. Klaasen, the primary aggressor in the latter half, played a masterclass in power-hitting. He reached his fifty in 32 deliveries and finished unbeaten on 69 off 43 balls, peppered with four sixes and three fours. Together, Klaasen and Kishan stitched an 88-run partnership off 48 balls. A late-innings cameo from Nitish Kumar Reddy (29* off 13) ensured the momentum never shifted, as the duo shared a 63-run partnership off just 32 balls to close the innings. It was a challenging evening for the Punjab bowling unit. Marco Jansen was the most expensive, conceding 61 runs in his four-over spell without a wicket. Yuzvendra Chahal was the only bowler to exert some control, finishing with figures of 1/32. Arshdeep Singh, Lockie Ferguson, and Vijaykumar Vyshak managed one wicket apiece but were unable to stem the flow of runs during the death overs. (ANI)
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