The IPL Match 69 SRH vs PBKS was quite enthralling as so many runs were scored in both innings. It was the second-last game of the league stage and was a high-scoring thriller played in Hyderabad on Sunday, May 19th.
Nearly 240 runs were scored in the game, which went down to the wire.
From PBKS's point of view, it was a dead rubber contest, and they announced Jitesh Sharma as their captain in Shikhar Dhawan's absence.
The Men in Red were supposed to do experiments in the game as it did not impact their campaign. They were already out of the tournament and playing this game for pride.
SRH, on the other hand, had a lot to play for. Their top-two qualification was at stake, and they needed to win their last fixture and bolster their hopes that Rajasthan would not get two points in their last game against KKR later in the day.
After winning the toss under the captaincy of a new captain, Jitesh Sharma, a wonderful prospect for Team India, Punjab made a superb start to the innings.
They experimented with their opening slots and gave opportunities to new local batters Atharva Taide and Prabhsimran, who didn't disappoint. They added 97 runs for the first wicket in the first ten overs, with over 60 runs in the powerplay.
Before, Taide got caught at a backward point on Natarajan's bowling after scoring a scintillating 46 from 27 balls with five fours and two classical sixes.
The flow of runs didn't end for the visiting side despite losing wickets, as the batters who came in played with the same fearless approach.
Rossouw came with all guns blazing at no three and made a decent hand with 49 from 24 balls, ensuring the run rate didn't drop.
In SRH vs PBKS game, SRH's bowling attack was pace-heavy, and they did not have a go-to spinner in the middle overs to take wickets.
With a late cameo from their skipper, Jitesh Sharma, Punjab ended up with 214, which was considered a respectable score considering SRH's batting resource.
IPL Match 69 Report Card: Players With Impeccable Performances
The IPL Match 69 players made an impact in SRH vs PBKS game with their notable performances.
Abhishek Sharma
Abhishek Sharma was at his brutal best in the run chase, continuing to bat the way he has throughout the tournament.
SRH lost Travis Head on the first ball duck. He came as an impact substitute and was outfoxed by another impact substitute, Arshdeep Singh. The left-arm castled his off stump with a delivery that nipped away from him after pitching, and he had no answer.
After losing Head, the young lefty was expected to take the game forward, and he took responsibility on his shoulders along with Rahul Tripathi. Both stood for a 72-run stand before Tripathi fell short to a dipping slower delivery of Harshal Patel.
Abhishek Sharma kept playing his shots, his mantra, which has given him so much success. He scored a fabulous fifty in just 21 balls, keeping the required rate in check.
He isn't afraid to play his shots and dares to take on the bowlers. The left-hander has developed many strokes in his armory and is not a one-dimensional player.
SRH's opening batter has already scored nearly 500 runs at a strike rate of 210. Surely, these numbers are not ignorable, and the time is not far away when he will knock on the doors of the national cricket team.
The 23-year-old youngster won the Player of the Match award for his spectacular 28-ball 66 runs, which included five towering sixes and six elegant boundaries.
Rahul Tripathi
Rahul Tripathi impressed the home crowd with his crafty and wristy cricketing shots. It won't be an exaggeration to say that SRH was in trouble when they lost Head on the first ball of the innings in a run chase of 215.
But Rahul had all the answers to the queries of his fans and the opposition teams. He found the gaps for perfection and never let the required run rate slip away from their hands.
He and Abhishek scored 50 in the first four overs and Tripathi smoked 22 runs in Harshal Patel's fifth over before perishing against him.
His innings ended at 33 from 18 balls, and it was an important knock in the context of the run chase.
IPL Match 69 SRH vs PBKS: How It All Went Down
In IPL match 69 SRH vs PBKS, the Men in Orange chased 215 in 19.1 overs in front of their jam-packed home crowd, and it was a brutal assault from their batters.
After the flourish of their openers, the middle order didn't hold back. Nitish Kumar Reddy and Heinrich Klassen continued to be aggressive in the middle overs.
Reddy added a valuable 37 from 25 balls, including one of the six he hit against Rahul Chahar from the back foot, which went to the third tier. It was a sensational shot.
Klaseen was not far behind, having accumulated 42 from 26 balls and he also hits a long ball.
A few of the shots these guys play from the backfoot, like hitting spinner straight for a monstrous six, require some serious skill which they seem to have.
The equation was brought down to 39 needed from 36 balls, and it was all over for Punjab, who was already playing a game of formality.
They took a few wickets at the end, but it was all too late, and the home side won by four wickets with five balls to spare. Overall, it was a tough day for the bowlers, with nearly 440 runs scored in a game.
A win for SRH has given them an ideal chance to finish in the top two, whereas Punjab had nothing to play for.
The biggest positive for them was their openers. They will be kept in mind when PBKS will be present in the mega auction for 2025.