Shreyas Iyer's ice-cool knock powered Punjab Kings past a strong 220-run target against Sunrisers Hyderabad in their fourth match of the Indian Premier League 2026 on Saturday, April 11. Chasing 220, Iyer scored a cool-headed 69 from 33 balls to take his team home with six wickets in hand and seven balls to spare.
While Shreyas anchored the chase and gave the finishing touches when a few wickets fell, the chase was set up by a blistering 99-run opening partnership between Priyansh Arya (57 off 20 balls) and Prabhsimran Singh (51 off 25). PBKS made a flying start in the chase, racing to 93 without loss in the powerplay as Priyansh and Prabhsimran went on the offensive from the outset. Harsh Dubey conceded 18 runs in the opening over, giving PBKS early momentum. Priyansh then took charge against Harshal Patel, smashing 6, 6, 4, 4 to bring up a rapid 16-ball fifty. With PBKS going so strong, Shivang Kumar briefly revived SRH’s hopes with a three-wicket burst, but Shreyas held his nerve to see PBKS through.
Abhishek, Head toy with PBKS bowlers
After being asked to bat first, Abhishek and Travis Head (38 off 23) dismantled the PBKS bowling attack, stitching together a 120-run opening stand in just over eight overs. However, Punjab bounced back impressively, with Shashank Singh removing both openers in a single over. From 120 without loss at the start of the ninth over, SRH were restricted to under 220. Xavier Bartlett (1/42) also delivered a superb final over, conceding just five runs.
Abhishek’s knock was studded with eight sixes and five fours, underlining his authority at the top. He set the tone early by taking Arshdeep Singh for 24 runs in an over, which included two boundaries and two sixes — one straight and another off a top edge over third man. Marco Jansen also came under heavy fire, conceding 16 runs in his first over as SRH surged to 60 without loss in four overs.
Abhishek raced to his half-century in just 18 balls, bringing it up with a six over long-on off a slower delivery from Vyshak Vijaykumar. He then followed it with another maximum off a low full toss, capping a 24-run over that pushed SRH to 84 without loss in five overs — the highest powerplay total at the venue. He marked his first fifty of the season with a hug from Travis Head before the duo continued their aggressive approach.
The onslaught didn’t ease even after Xavier Bartlett returned, as Head struck three consecutive boundaries and Abhishek added another six over deep midwicket to take SRH past 100 in the powerplay. With his frontline pacers struggling, Shreyas Iyer turned to Shashank Singh and Yuzvendra Chahal to stem the flow of runs, with Shashank conceding just six in his opening over.
Chahal also started well, giving away only three runs off his first five deliveries before Abhishek stepped out to launch him for a big six. Sticking with Shashank proved effective, as he provided the crucial breakthrough with Travis Head holing out to long-on.
He struck again shortly after, removing Abhishek, who was caught by Arshdeep while going for another big hit. Showing smart leadership, Shreyas brought Chahal back into the attack, and the leg-spinner responded with a tight over, conceding just nine runs. SRH skipper Ishan Kishan (27 off 17) fell to Arshdeep, while Heinrich Klaasen (39 off 33) was dismissed in the final over
