Punjab Kings captain Shreyas Iyer, left, celebrates 50 (AP Photo) Shreyas Iyer once again proved his worth as a leader and batsman to lead Punjab Kings to an impressive six-wicket win over Sunrisers Hyderabad in an IPL match on Saturday.After a shrewd fielding captaincy and clinical finishing, Shreyas remained unbeaten on 69 off 33 balls to help PBKS chase down a massive target of 220 with seven balls to spare.
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How Justin Langer’s faith helped Mukul Choudhary shine The match was defined by two extreme power plays. First, Sunrisers Hyderabad exploded to 105 not out in the first six overs and 120 not out in 8.1 overs, powered by Abhishek Sharma’s 28-ball 74 and Travis Head’s 23-ball 38. Abhishek was in destructive form, smashing eight sixes and five fours, repeatedly racing Marc Arsh and five fours. Jansen and the seam attack.SRH eventually ended up at 219 for six, but not before Punjab mounted a fightback. Shashank Singh changed the game with a crucial double strike, removing both Abhishek and Head in the same over as SRH were still flying at 120/0. Xavier Bartlett also held firm at the death conceding just five runs in his final over.In reply, Punjab Kings came out with similar aggression. Priyansh Arya and Prabhsimran Singh launched a brutal counter-attack and added 99 runs for the opening wicket. The pair powered PBKS to 93 for no loss in the powerplay, completely matching SRH’s earlier onslaught.Priyansh was sensational, smashing a 16-ball fifty and dismantling Harshal Patel, Eshan Malinga and Harsh Dubey. Prabhsimran backed up with a brisk 51 off 25, including a fearless six against Jaydev Unadkat and others.Even after a brief wobble, with Shivang Kumar picking up three wickets, including crucial breakthroughs in the middle overs, Punjab stayed ahead of the required pace during the chase.
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At 128/3 in the 11th over, SRH had a glimmer of hope but Shreyas Iyer took full control. He timed the chase perfectly, found boundaries at regular intervals, kept the strike tally above 200 and ensured there was no late drama.His unbeaten 69 off 33 sealed a dominant finish as PBKS comfortably crossed the line to complete another memorable high-scoring chase.
