Abhishek Sharma’s blazing 141 powers SRH to record chase against Punjab

KATHMANDU: Abhishek Sharma’s explosive century led Sunrisers Hyderabad to a dominant 8-wicket victory over Punjab Kings in an IPL clash on Saturday.

Chasing a massive target of 246 runs, Hyderabad’s Sharma blazed his way to 141 runs off just 55 balls, smashing 14 fours and 10 sixes.

His fiery innings, partnered with Travis Head, who scored a brisk 66 off 37 balls, set the stage for Hyderabad’s remarkable win.

Sharma’s century was not only the first of his IPL career, but it also stands as the third-highest individual score in IPL history. Prior to Sharma, only Chris Gayle (175* in 2013) and Brendon McCullum (158* in 2008) had posted higher scores.

The partnership between Sharma and Head, which amassed 171 runs for the first wicket, became the second-largest opening partnership in IPL history. While Head’s 66 laid a solid foundation, it was Sharma’s brilliance that took the game away from Punjab.

Sharma was also lucky on a couple of occasions. He was saved from being dismissed at 28 runs due to a no-ball, and at 57, Yuzvendra Chahal dropped a catch. After completing his century, Sharma celebrated in style, pulling out a piece of paper from his jersey that read “This one is for the Orange Army.” For his spectacular performance, he was named Player of the Match.

Earlier, Punjab Kings, having won the toss and elected to bat first, put up a daunting total of 245/6 in 20 overs.

Captain Shreyas Iyer played a blistering knock of 82 off 36 balls, including 6 fours and 6 sixes, while Prabhsimran Singh (42 runs), Priyansh Arya (36 off 13 balls), and Marcus Stoinis (34 off 11 balls) provided crucial contributions to their team’s total.

Despite Mohammad Shami’s impressive four-wicket haul for Hyderabad, his 4 overs cost a whopping 75 runs, making it the second-most expensive bowling performance in IPL history.

With this victory, Hyderabad broke their four-match losing streak and moved up to eighth position with 4 points. Punjab, on the other hand, dropped to sixth place with 6 points.

In other IPL action on Saturday, Lucknow Super Giants defeated Gujarat Titans to move into third place, while Delhi Capitals, with a perfect win record, remained at the top.

Gujarat, second in the standings, is followed by Lucknow in third, Kolkata in fourth, and Royal Challengers Bangalore in fifth. Punjab is now sixth, with all teams in the top six having 6 points.