HYDERABAD, MAY 19
Abhishek Sharma smacked 66 runs off 28 balls as Sunrisers Hyderabad beat Punjab Kings by four wickets in the Indian Premier League on Sunday to stay in contention for the coveted second place.
Sharma hit five fours and six sixes as Hyderabad equaled its highest run-chase on its home ground, finishing with 215-6 in 19.1 overs. Punjab chose to bat first and scored 214-5 with Prabhsimran Singh scoring a 45-ball 71.
Hyderabad moved up to second, finishing the league stage with 17 points from 14 games. It now awaits the result of the final IPL league game between third-place Rajasthan Royals and table-toppers Kolkata Knight Riders in Guwahati later Sunday. The start of that game has been delayed by rain.
Rajasthan would secure second place with a win, with Hyderabad dropping down to third. The two sides are competing for the right to challenge Kolkata in qualifier one in Ahmedabad on Tuesday.
Royal Challengers Bengaluru secured the fourth playoff spot after beating Chennai Super Kings on Saturday.
Punjab made a good start. Singh hit seven fours and four sixes, putting on 97 off 55 balls with Atharva Taide who scored 46.
Left-arm pacer T Natarajan (2-33) provided the breakthrough but Singh put on another 54 off 32 balls with Rilee Rossouw.
Shashank Singh was run out for two, after Singh's dismissal in the 15th over, but Rossouw carried the innings forward with 45 off 24 balls. Stand-in captain Jitesh Sharma scored 32 not out off 15 balls to take Punjab past 200.
Hyderabad's chase started badly when Arshdeep Singh bowled Travis Head for a golden duck.
Sharma though had other ideas as he stroked another quickfire half-century – his third this season, coming off only 21 balls.
He put on 72 off 30 balls with Rahul Tripathi (33 off 18). Harshal Patel broke the partnership, but Nitish Reddy helped carry forward the momentum with 37 off 25 balls.
Hyderabad was in complete control of the chase, bringing up 150 in only 12 overs. Heinrich Klaasen smacked 42 off 26 balls, including two sixes, after Sharma's dismissal earlier in the 11th over.
Punjab was able to dismiss Reddy and Klaasen, but the remaining target was too little to cause Hyderabad any trouble.
