Punjab Kings Beat Sunrisers Hyderabad, Keep Playoff Hopes Alive

Punjab Kings' stand-in captain Jitesh Sharma won the toss and elected to bat first against Sunrisers Hyderabad in their penultimate Indian Premier League (IPL) contest in Hyderabad on May 19. While Punjab Kings are out of contention for making the IPL playoffs for the 10th year in a row, Sunrisers Hyderabad are eyeing two points from this game to bolster their chances of finishing second. SRH are currently third in the points table with 15 points, behind table-toppers Kolkata Knight Riders and Rajasthan Royals, who play later in the day. The outcomes of both games on Sunday will finalise the team standings as well as playoffs fixtures in Ahmedabad and Chennai. KKR, RR, SRH, and Royal Challengers Bengaluru are the four teams to have made the playoffs this year.

Punjab Kings, led by Sharma, posted a competitive total of 151/6 in their allotted 20 overs. Opener Prabhsimran Singh top-scored with a 41-ball 56, while Jitesh Sharma contributed a valuable 29 off 24 deliveries. For Sunrisers Hyderabad, Bhuvneshwar Kumar and T Natarajan picked up two wickets each.

In reply, Sunrisers Hyderabad fell short by 12 runs, finishing on 139/9. Abhishek Sharma (43) and Rahul Tripathi (34) provided a solid start, but the middle order failed to capitalize. Punjab Kings' bowlers shared the wickets, with Rishi Dhawan, Harpreet Brar, and Rahul Chahar taking two wickets each.

The victory for Punjab Kings was their sixth of the season, while Sunrisers Hyderabad suffered their eighth defeat. Both teams will play their final league matches on May 22, with Punjab Kings facing Delhi Capitals and Sunrisers Hyderabad taking on Mumbai Indians.

Tags: #IPL2023, #PunjabKings, #SunrisersHyderabad, #JiteshSharma, #AbhishekSharma