In match no.49 of the TATA Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026, it was the clash of the two heavyweight sides, Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) and the Punjab Kings (PBKS), at the Rajiv Gandhi International Cricket Stadium. The fans came in large numbers to support the Orange Army, and they did not disappoint, defeating the most in-form side by 33 runs.
PBKS captain Shreyas Iyer won the toss and opted to field first. They made a couple of changes from their last match defeat, with Lockie Ferguson and Shashank Singh coming back in the side for Xavier Bartlett and Nehal Wadhera. Pat Cummins’ side also made one change, bringing in Nitish Kumar Reddy, who missed the last game due to injury.
Heinrich Klaasen went carnage against PBKS
After being invited to bat first, the opening duo of Abhishek Sharma and Travis Head went into carnage from the very first over as they brought 50 runs partnership inside four overs. The former was dismissed on the score of 35 runs, and Head continued his blistering start, scoring 38 runs off 19 balls.
Ishan Kishan and Heinrich Klaasen stitched a partnership of 88 runs, though they were lucky at the start of the innings, with 3 catches dropped for them, and one tough stumping chance was also missed. They took on the charge from there and both scored fifties respectively. Kishan scored his half-century in 28 balls and was dismissed on 55 runs.
Klaasen kept continuing his carnage and played a knock of 69 runs off 43 deliveries. He was dismissed on the very last ball of the first innings, along with him, Nitish Kumar Reddy also scored 29 off 13 as they both stitched 63 runs off 32 balls. Pat Cummins’ side finished off with the score of 235/4.
Cooper Connolly’s century goes in vain
PBKS openers Priyansh Arya and Prabhsimran Singh could not provide the start needed for the run chase as they both were dismissed for a single-digit score. Captain Shreyas Iyer also failed as he was also dismissed for five runs as they lost four wickets inside the first 7 overs.
Then it was a Cooper Connolly who battled alone as he was unbeaten with the score of 107 runs off 59 deliveries. Some small contributions from Marcus Stoinis and Suryansh Shedge of 28 and 25 runs respectively, and Marco Jansen scoring 19 runs, as the Punjab side fell short by 34 runs.
Punjab are a really good side- Pat Cummins
Pat Cummins was awarded the Player of the Match for his excellent bowling spell in which he picked two wickets for 34 runs and took a couple of catches, and expertly led the side in the game. Since Pat Cummins has joined the squad, they have won three matches and lost one.
Pat Cummins said, “Punjab are a really good side. I thought the batters to get off to what we did was sensational. No matter what the score is, bowling second against that side was clinical. We’re pretty good at playing it at our pace.”
“It’s just trying to max out. We’re no good during the day [at home]! It gripped a little bit, which suits our bowlers. We’ve seen it before; we can adjust. I fell really good. Came into this fresh. Not much has worked for any team in the powerplay, really. We’ve got lots of options. Good result [for Connolly]. Good to see the Aussies do well. Hope so [it’s our season].”
Also Read: “Remember the name”: Fans applauds Cooper Connolly’s maiden century vs SRH in IPL 2026
