06 May,2026 12:02 AM IST | Mumbai | mid-day online correspondent
Shreyas Iyer (Pic: File Pic)
In the IPL 2026 match against Punjab Kings, Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) emerged victorious by 33 runs at the Rajiv Gandhi International Cricket Stadium in Hyderabad.
After suffering a loss against MI, PBKS' captain Shreyas Iyer said, "I think it was a bit too much (the target) because we dropped many catches at the start and we could have easily delayed their score by 30 to 40 runs, I guess. Because the wicket kept getting slower and the cutters were holding up a bit. So we weren't that comprehensive enough on the field, nor in bowling, nor in batting. So I think they played comprehensive cricket and they showed us how to win the match. I feel we got a fairytale start in this tournament and everyone were in a great space and the mindset was top notch. I think it's important that we stick with the same mindset. It's easy to get diverted with talking negative about things. But definitely we got to go back, reflect on things that we didn't do well in the particular last three matches and see to it that we come back strong. He's phenomenal (Connolly). His mindset is top notch and the character he brings onto the field, it's something that all players can learn from him. And apart from that, I feel that he's got a knack of scoring big runs in pressure situations. He has done it in the past and today was the right example. He was fearless and his attitude was fantastic against left-handers (Chahal). I asked him to be attacking, especially when the new batsmen were in because they were on the charge right from ball one. And it was crucial to get wickets at that point of time. Unfortunately, we weren't able to take catches. I think that was the biggest setback for us in today's game. But definitely something to reflect on and come back stronger".
With an aim of chasing the target of 236 runs, Punjab's Impact Player, Priyansh Arya, departed on one run off three balls, whereas fellow opening batsman Prabhsimran Singh was dismissed on three runs in four balls.
Captain Shreyas Iyer's knock came to an end with a score of five runs in five balls, which also included a boundary. Facing 14 balls, burly all-rounder Marcus Stoinis registered 28 runs, including three boundaries and two maximums.
Suryansh Shedge also lost his wicket after scoring 25 runs in 17 balls, with the help of a boundary and two maximums. Shashank Singh was dismissed for four runs in three balls, which included a boundary.
Star batsman Cooper Connolly delivered an unbeaten 107 runs off just 59 deliveries. His knock was laced with seven boundaries and eight maximums. Despite his century, PBKS managed to reach 202 runs for the loss of seven wickets in 20 overs.
SRH's skipper Pat Cummins returned with the figures of two wickets for 34 runs in four overs. Shivang Kumar also bagged two wickets. Nitish Kumar Reddy, Eshan Malinga, and Sakib Hussain also chipped in with one wicket each.
Earlier, having been put to bat first, SRH's opening batsman Abhishek Sharma smashed 35 runs in just 13 balls, including two boundaries and four maximums. Fellow opening batsman Travis Head accumulated 38 runs in 19 deliveries, laced with three boundaries and the same number of maximums.
Wicketkeeper-batsman Ishan Kishan played an impressive knock of 55 runs off 32 deliveries. During his knock, the left-handed batsman smashed two boundaries and four maximums.
Later, Heinrich Klaasen and star all-rounder Nitish Kumar Reddy delivered stunning knocks. Facing 43 balls, Klassen smashed 69 runs, including three boundaries and four maximums. On the other hand, Nitish registered an unbeaten 29 runs in 13 balls, with the help of two boundaries and two maximums. With this, the Sunrisers posted a total of 235 runs for the loss of four wickets in 20 overs against the Kings.
PBKS' Lockie Ferguson, Arshdeep Singh, Vijaykumar Vyshak, and Yuzvendra Chahal managed to pick up one wicket each. Marco Jansen went wicketless in the IPL 2026 match against SRH.
