Shashank Singh conceded 20 runs in three overs and snared two key breakthroughs in the PBKS vs SRH match.
Punjab Kings are continuing their winning spree with yet another victory in the ongoing IPL 2026. But the way the Sunrisers Hyderabad had started off their innings in the PBKS vs SRH match, it looked tough for the last edition’s runners-up to bounce back from there. However, following the six-wicket win in New Chandigarh, captain Shreyas Iyer has opened up on how they restricted the opposition’s blazing opening pair.
Hyderabad’s explosive opening duo were off to a flier in the PBKS vs SRH game. While Abhishek Sharma (74) was leading the charge and mostly took the aerial route, Travis Head (38) continued to chip in with some crucial boundaries to keep the scoreboard racing towards a massive total. The pair had fueled the side to a huge 105 for no loss in under six overs and were set to notch up a 250-plus target on the board.
But the momentum shifted towards PBKS right after the powerplay with the spinners into the attack. Shreyas discussed that it was Shashank who had approached the skipper and sought an over. The 34-year-old backed his skills to stop the run flow. After giving away just six runs in the seventh over, his twin strikes in the next saw Abhishek and Head back in the pavilion.
“All of us came together, and Shashank, while we were coming in, he approached me. He was like give me an over, you see how I’ll be bowling. I’ve come with a certain plan. Ricky came and asked me, what’s your thought? I said that I’ll go with Shashank. Because I need someone who bowls at around 120, I need to take the pace off of these two batsmen because they were going bonkers,” he stated.
“He lived up to his expectations. Whatever he said that I’ll be taking a wicket, he did that. So, kudos to him and his thought process, and all the bowlers, the way they came back, it was phenomenal. That shows the character and attitude our team possesses,” added Shreyas in the post-match presentation.
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Despite a blistering start from the openers, the SRH middle order failed to carry on the momentum. They managed to put up only 219/6, which was at least 15-20 runs short of what the side could have reached.
However, after a fierce opening display from Priyansh Arya (57) and Prabhsimran Singh (51), captain Shreyas Iyer stole the show with another match-winning half-century. He was also adjudged the Player of the Match for steering PBKS through to the chase with an unbeaten 69 off just 33 deliveries, comprising five boundaries and as many sixes.
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