PBKS vs SRH, IPL 2024: Sunrisers Hyderabad edges Punjab Kings despite late Shashank, Ashutosh onslaught

Chasing 183, Kings’ Shashank Singh and Ashutosh Sharma combinedly played cool imperious shots in the death overs, but could only cause a scare and bring their team within sniffing distance of victory.

Nitish Kumar Reddy celebrates with teammates after winning the IPL 2024 match against Punjab Kings. | Photo Credit: MOORTHY RV/ THE HINDU

Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) clinched a humdinger by two runs versus Punjab Kings (PBKS) in the Indian Premier League (IPL) at the Maharaja Yadavindra Singh international cricket stadium here on Tuesday.

Chasing 183, Kings’ Shashank Singh (46 n.o., 25b, 6x4, 1x6) and Ashutosh Sharma (33, 15b, 3x4, 2x6) combinedly played cool imperious shots in the death overs again, as they did in Kings’ successful 200-run chase versus Gujarat Titans, but could only cause a scare and bring their team within sniffing distance of victory.

With 29 needed off the last over, Jadev Unadkat conceded 26 runs. Ashutosh hit a six to deep midwicket boundary - it was palmed over by the fielder - off the first ball, and Unadkat bowled back-to-back wides.

He hit a six over long off then, this time too the fielder palming the ball over the boundary. He picked up a two thereafter, for Kings to score 13 off three balls. A double, one run off a wide delivery, and a single later, Shashank managed to clobber a six over long off for Kings to fall short of the target by just three runs.

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The duo steadily kept at it at the death, taking 17 runs, 11 runs, and 10 runs off the 17th, 18th, and 19th overs. Shashank struck three fours in the 17th over off Bhuvneshwar Kumar.

Earlier, Nitish Kumar Reddy’s maiden IPL fifty (64, 37b, 4x4, 5x6) helped Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) post 182 for nine.

Sunrisers had its worst batting and the Kings its best bowling Powerplay of the season, as Sunrisers got to 40 for three.

Arshdeep Singh picked up two wickets in his second over. Opener Travis Head’s mishit was pouched by Shikhar Dhawan, who had to turn back and run from mid-off tracing the ball.

A ball later, Aiden Markram nicked a back-of-length delivery, that nipped away a teeny bit, through to the keeper. Sunrisers then slumped to 66 for four in 10 overs.

Nitish remarkably plundered 22 runs off a Harpreet Brar over with two fours and two sixes, the first of which brought up his fifty.

Nitish and Abdul Samad (25, 12b, 5x4) added 50 runs off 20 balls for the sixth-wicket stand. Arshdeep returned to have them both caught in the deep in the same over.