Abhishek Sharma was named the player of the match for his record-breaking century. There is no denying the fact that the left-handed batter was lucky a couple of times. He was dismissed off a no-ball by Yash Thakur early in his innings. But it is a famous saying that luck favors the brave and Abhishek was nothing if not brave tonight.
He scored 141 runs off only 55 deliveries hitting 14 fours and 10 sixes. Even though he received a great deal of support from Travis Head, his knock was the biggest reason behind SRH completing the second-highest chase in the history of the IPL. In his century celebration, Abhishek pulled out a sheet of paper from his pocket which said, “This one is for the Orange Army.”
Abhishek Sharma played the knock of this season. The left-handed batter scored 141 runs which is the highest individual score by an Indian in the history of the IPL. His knock was also the highest individual score by a player in a chase in the IPL. He broke multiple records during his historic knock.
Abhishek’s 141 runs came off only 55 balls at a strike rate of 256.36. The left-handed batter smashed 14 fours and 10 sixes.
Travis Head played second fiddle. The form he has been in the last couple of years, him being a second fiddle is like breaking news. While Abhishek broke all the records, Travis too played a great knock. The Australian opening batter scored 66 runs off 37 deliveries hitting nine fours and three sixes.
Harshal Patel was the best bowler on a day where close to 500 runs were scored. The right-arm pacer picked up four wickets in the first innings. His spell allowed SRH to restrict PBKS to 245 which in the end proved to be a chaseable total.
Shreyas Iyer top-scored for the Punjab Kings in the first innings as the visitors made hay of the batting-friendly surface at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium. The PBKS skipper scored 82 runs in 36 balls striking at a rate of 227. He made only 22 runs from running between the wickets as he smashed six fours and six sixes.
It was run-fest in the first innings. The barrage of boundaries started with the opening batters from Punjab Kings. They scored 66 runs in the first four overs taking the attack against the experienced bowling duo of Mohammed Shami and Pat Cummins. Once Priyansh Arya was dismissed after his rollicking start, Shreyas Iyer continued the momentum. The PBKS skipper after struggling for runs in the past couple of matches made the most of the batting-friendly surface that was provided. He scored 82 runs in only 36 balls smashing six fours and sixes each.
It was unarguably a tough night for the SRH bowlers. They were taken to the cleaners by the PBKS batters. However, Harshal Patel with his off-pace deliveries managed to pick up four wickets. Eshan Malinga too picked up a couple of wickets on his debut in the Indian Premier League.
If the ball used in the second innings was a passenger in an airplane it would have collected hundreds of miles as a frequent flier. Abhishek Sharma played a historic knock smashing the ball in every corner of the ground. He scored 141 runs which is the highest individual score in a chase in the IPL. It was unarguably a historic knock and he broke multiple records. The left-handed batter smashed 14 fours and 10 sixes helping his side get an important victory.
For Punjab Kings, it was a disappointing second innings as their bowlers were smashed to pieces. To make matters worse for them, Lockie Ferguson injured his left quad after bowling only two deliveries in the innings. The over was then completed by Marcus Stoinis who ended his night by bowling only four balls in the chase.
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