Abhishek Sharma was not having a good time in the festival of runs that IPL 2025 has often turned out to be. After five matches, the opener had a highest score of 24 and a tally of 51 runs. The left-hander exploded into action with a hurricane hundred to revive himself and the campaign of Sunrisers Hyderabad in a high-scoring free-for-all against Punjab Kings in Hyderabad on Saturday.
Sharma’s 55-ball 141 helped SRH achieve the second highest chase in the history of the competition. They made 247/2 in reply to 245/6 and came back from a run of four successive defeats to register a second win in their sixth outing. PBKS, who were hoping to join the leading pack on eight points after Shreyas Iyer’s blazing 82, remained on sixth after five matches.
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Despite all the talk about their heavy artillery in batting, SRH were not firing after making 286 in their first match against Rajasthan Royals. Surpassing 245 looked unlikely when Travis Head and Sharma walked out to bat after the innings break. India’s T20I opener took 18 off the first five balls he faced and the runs kept coming in numbing regularity. There were 10 sixes and 14 fours. It was also the highest individual score in the IPL by an Indian.
Head also played an important hand and didn’t let the proceedings slow down when Sharma was not on strike. The Australian made 66 off 37 and shared an opening partnership of 171 in a mere 12.2 overs. But such was the ferocity of his partner’s onslaught that despite maintaining a strike rate of 178.37, Head appeared slow in front of Sharma. Their association settled the match well before it was over.
PBKS had also got off to a brisk start thanks to Priyansh Arya (36 off 13 ) and Prabhsimran Singh (42 off 23). Iyer has been in sparkling form this season and blasted 82 off just 36 with the help of six sixes and as many fours. The innings lost momentum for a while, before Marcus Stoinis struck the last four balls of the 20th over bowled by Mohammed Shami for sixes.
PBKS could have fielded better, but given the mayhem caused by Sharma, anything else may not have made a difference. In such tall chases, usually there are nervous moments, when spectators start thinking that the match can go either way. There was nothing like that in the SRH reply as they crossed that huge target with nine balls to spare.
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