Mullanpur: Abhishek Sharma unleashed a brutal onslaught with a blistering 28-ball 74 before Punjab Kings rallied to stop Sunrisers Hyderabad at 219 for six in their Indian Premier League match here on Saturday, April 11.
Sent in, Abhishek and Travis Head (38 off 23 balls) blew away the PBKS bowlers with a 120-run opening partnership in a mere 8.1 overs.
The home team though made a comeback after Shashank Singh (2/20 in 3 overs) removed both openers in one over and, as a result, SRH, who were 120 for no loss at the start of ninth over, ended inside 220.
Xavier Bartlett (1/42 in 4 overs) bowled a brilliant final over to concede just five runs.
This was after Abhishek smashed eight sixes and five fours.
Abhishek got off the blocks quickly, slashing Arshdeep Singh over cover for a boundary after the left-arm seamer offered him width to free his arms.
Abhishek picked up a couple of boundaries against Bartlett and then launched into Arshdeep, collecting 24 runs with the help of two fours and two maximums including a straight six and another off a top edge over third man.
Marco Jansen, too, was taken to the cleaners with 16 runs in the left-arm quick’s first over as SRH reached 60 for no loss in four overs.
Abhishek reached his half-century in 18 balls with a six over long-on off a Vyshak Vijaykumar slower ball, and two balls later, a low full toss was lofted over long-on for another maximum to signal the end of another 24-run over, which propelled SRH to 84 for no loss in five overs, the best powerplay score at this venue.
Abhishek enjoyed registering his first half-century of the season and received a hug from Head, before the two resumed their power hitting.
Bartlett came back but the onslaught continued unabated as Head struck three consecutive boundaries and Abhishek pummelled one over deep midwicket for a maximum to bring up SRH’s 100 inside the powerplay.
With his front-line seamers leaking plenty of runs, Punjab skipper Shreyas Iyer introduced Shashank Singh and spinner Yuzvendra Chahal to slow things down, and the former gave away just six runs in his first over.
Leg-spinner Chahal conceded only three runs in his first five balls before Abhishek danced down the wicket to smack him for a big six.
Continuing with Shashank paid off for PBKS as he effected the much-needed first breakthrough with an innocuous delivery that Head hit to the fielder at long-on.
Shashank struck again as Abhishek was caught by Arshdeep after the batter slashed a fuller-length ball but could not clear the boundary.
Showing astute captaincy, Shreyas gave Chahal another over and, in the context of the game, he did the job asked of him by conceding just nine runs.
SRH skipper Ishan Kishan (27 off 17) got out to Arshdeep while Heinrich Klaasen (39 off 33) was dismissed in the final over.
