Sunrisers Hyderabad defeated the Punjab Kings by 33 runs to reach the top spot in the IPL 2026 standings. Chasing 236, PBKS were restricted to 202 for 7 in 20 overs. Punjab have lost nine matches in a row against Sunrisers in Hyderabad.
Punjab dropped catches of Ishan Kishan and Heinrich Klaasen when they were new to the crease and paid a heavy price as the two went on to smash fifties.
Priyansh Arya (1), Prabhsimran Singh (3) and Shreyas Iyer (5), the three in-form batters, were unable to contribute. Cooper Connolly looked superb in the middle, amassing his maiden hundred in T20 cricket. It is his debut season in the IPL, and the Aussie batter dominated the rivals. He remained unbeaten on 107 runs off 59 balls, with the help of 8 sixes and 7 boundaries.
Marcus Stoinis (28 off 14) and Suryansh Shedge (25 off 17) added important runs, but their efforts were not enough to take the team home. SRH captain Pat Cummins and Shivang Kumar took two wickets each.
Earlier, Punjab had a chance to put Hyderabad on the back foot, but they missed the chance by not holding on to regulation catches.
Abhishek Sharma came out all guns blazing, taking just 13 balls to post 35, including 4 maximums and 2 boundaries. His opening partner Travis Head amassed 38 off 19, laced with 3 fours and as many sixes.
Kishan hit four sixes and 2 boundaries in his innings of 55 while Klaasen’s 43-ball 69 saw him smash 4 maximums and 3 fours.
Nitish Kumar Reddy, who returned to the playing XI, was sensational with the bat. He struck 2 fours and 2 sixes in his 13-ball 29-run knock.
For PBKS, Arshdeep Singh, Yuzvendra Chahal, Lockie Ferguson and Vijaykumar Vyshak picked up one wicket each. Punjab have lost three consecutive matches and are second with 13 points from 10 games.
On the other hand, Pat Cummins’ team has moved up to the No.1 spot, following their 7th win of the 19th season. They have 14 points from 11 contests and need one more win to move close to a playoff berth in the IPL 2026.
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