New Chandigarh, April 11 (IANS) Abhishek Sharma smashed 74 runs off just 28 balls as Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) posted a massive total of 219 runs in 20 overs while losing six wickets against Punjab Kings (PBKS) in the 17th match of IPL 2026 at the PCA New International Cricket Stadium in New Chandigarh on Sunday.

Batting first after losing the toss, Sunrisers Hyderabad got off to a flying start. Openers Abhishek Sharma and Travis Head looked in great touch and attacked the bowlers from the very beginning.

Abhishek took charge early and scored 20 runs off Arshdeep Singh in the third over, putting pressure on the opposition. He continued his aggressive batting and reached his fifty in just 18 balls, hitting two consecutive sixes off Vijaykumar Vyshak in the fifth over.

Travis Head also joined the attack in the next over, hitting three boundaries off Xavier Bartlett. Thanks to their brilliant batting, SRH reached 105/0 at the end of the powerplay.

Punjab Kings made a comeback in the ninth over when Shashank Singh dismissed Head with a slower ball, breaking the 120-run opening partnership. Head scored 38 runs off 23 balls, including five fours and one six.

Just two balls later, Abhishek was caught by Arshdeep Singh at deep cover while trying to play a shot on the off side. He scored 78 runs with five fours and eight sixes.

After two quick wickets, Ishan Kishan and Heinrich Klaasen steadied the innings. They rotated the strike well and kept the scoreboard moving with singles and doubles.

Arshdeep Singh broke their partnership in the 14th over when Kishan was caught by Marco Jansen at deep mid-wicket after scoring 27 runs off 13 balls.

SRH suffered another setback in the 17th over when Aniket Verma was run out due to a mix-up with Klaasen after hitting a four and a six. Salil Arora, who replaced Livingstone, failed to make an impact and got out for 9 runs off 8 balls in the 19th over. Klaasen struggled to accelerate and scored 39 runs off 33 balls, as SRH managed only 43 runs in the last five overs.

Shashank Singh was the best bowler for Punjab Kings, giving away just 20 runs in three overs and taking two important wickets. Arshdeep Singh also picked up two wickets, while Xavier Bartlett took one.

Brief scores:

Sunrisers Hyderabad 219/6 in 20 overs (Abhishek Sharma 74, Heinrich Klaasen 39, Travis Head 38; Shashank Singh 2-20, Arshdeep Singh 2-50) against Punjab Kings

--IANS

sds/