Captain Shreyas Iyer led from the front as Punjab Kings maintained their impressive start to the 2026 Indian Premier League season by defeating Sunrisers Hyderabad by six wickets at Maharaja Yadavindra Singh International Cricket Stadium on Saturday.
It looked like Punjab were going to have little trouble reaching a victory target of 220 after openers Prabhsimran Singh and Priyansh Arya flew out of the blocks scoring 99 in 6.2 overs, with the latter blasting a 16-ball fifty.
But then both openers were gone in quick succession falling to Shivang Kumar, who finished with 3-33, with Arya out for 57 off 20 balls while Prabhsimran's 51 came off 25.
But the arrival of Iyer to the crease turned the match back in Punjab's favour as he smashed an unbeaten 69 while Shashank Singh clubbed 16 not out to go with his vital spell of 2-20 with the ball to guide the team home with seven balls to spare.
Punjab have now won three out of four and have yet to taste defeat, after their match against Kolkata Knight Riders was abandoned due to rain, and are only one point behind table-topping Rajasthan Royals.
“Firstly, we got a phenomenal start,” said player-of-the-match Iyer after Punjab notched their tenth chase of 200 or more – more than any other team in the IPL. “When you're chasing 220, you need that start. Pleasing to the eye, proper cricketing shots. We steadied the rhythm at the start.
“At the end of the day, we all know we've got the skills. We need a strong mindset when we go for such chases. The openers have been flowing throughout, they don't need to curb their instincts.
“Overall, we've been magnificent with our work ethic. All players worked their bodies off. Last year, we came so close to winning the trophy. This year, we want to lift it. It will take a lot of effort to envision that.”
Assistant Kings coach Brad Haddin added: “I'm glad I'm not a bowler in the first six overs … The one thing we did really well after those first six was we stayed calm, got the game back. The middle overs … That's where it was won.
“[Head coach] Ricky [Ponting] spoke to the players: they know their plans, and just stay calm. Things might be bubbling up, but you know your plans. If you get a chance, you pounce on it, like they did here.”
Earlier, Hyderabad looked set for a huge total after Abhishek Sharma and Travis Head (38) added 120 in just eight overs with the former cracking eight sixes in his 74 from 28 balls. But then Shashank claimed both openers in the space of three balls which stalled the team's momentum.
South African Heinrich Klaasen contributed the next highest knock with 39 from 33 balls helping his team reach 219-6 after Punjab scored just 99 in their last 12 overs.
“We could have ended with a total of 250, the way we started … At the same time, they batted well in the beginning,” said disappointed Hyderabad captain Ishan Kishan, whose team have now lost three out of four matches so far.
“We were not so good with the execution – in T20 cricket, the most important thing is the execution of your good balls. 190 is a par score here, we could have had 240 here. But 220 was a great total.
“It showed in their batting that it was easier scoring runs for them. It's simple cricket. Your bowlers have a total, you try to defend. If you don't bowl in the right areas, you don't stop runs in the middle.”
Kishan's team are back in action on Monday when they take on early-season pacesetters Rajasthan at Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium. Punjab face Mumbai Indians at Wankhede Stadium three days later.
