IPL 2024: SRH survive Shashank-Ashutosh scare to beat PBKS
Sunrisers Hyderabad have narrowly beaten Punjab Kings by two runs in Match 23 of the 2024 Indian Premier League (IPL). Momentum enjoyed a rollercoaster ride in the game as the Orange Army prevailed at the end in Chandigarh. Youngster Nitish Reddy starred with a fiery half-century. Shashank Singh and Ashutosh Sharma, who gave SRH a scare, played breathtaking knocks in a losing cause.
SRH post a strong total
SRH were off to a poor start as Arshdeep Singh dismissed Travis Head (21) and Aiden Markram (0) in the third over. The Sunrisers were 66/4 at the 10-over mark. Reddy then broke the shackles with his fiery hitting. He added 50 runs with Abdul Samad (25) in no time. Their brilliance powered SRH to 182/9 in their 20 overs.
PBKS narrowly fell short
PBKS were off to a terrible start as Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Pat Cummins's brilliant powerplay spells reduced them to 20/3. Though Sam Curran (29) and Sikandar Raza (28) tried to fight back, they could not make the required contributions. The tale of falling wickets continued as PBKS were restricted to 180/6. Shashank's 46* and Ashutosh's 33* went in vain.
The Shashank-Ashutosh carnage
PBKS required 69 off 27 balls with Shashank joined Ashutosh in the middle. The duo was determined to replicate their heroics from the last game. They smashed the likes of Jaydev Unadkat, T Natarajan, Bhuvneshwar, and Cummins to instill life in the contest. Both batters returned unbeaten as Shashank made a 25-ball 46 while Ashustosh scored 33 off 15 balls.
1,000 runs for Abhishek in SRH colors
Abhishek Sharma became the first uncapped batter to complete 1,000 runs for SRH. He made 16 off 11 balls The southpaw has now raced to 1,007 runs for the franchise at 23.41. Playing his 52nd IPL match, Abhishek has completed 1,070 runs at an average of 24.31. His strike rate is 145.58.
Maiden fifty for Reddy
Reddy, who managed just 14 runs off his first 18 balls, ended up scoring 64 off just 37 balls. This was Reddy's maiden half-century in T20 cricket. The Andhra Pradesh star now owns 170 runs across nine T20 matches. The 20-year-old was standing in his fourth IPL game. He also bowled three overs of medium pace and claimed 1/33.
150 wickets in T20 cricket for Arshdeep
Arshdeep was brilliant across all phases as he claimed 4/29. The young pacer also completed 150 wickets in the 20-over format Arshdeep has raced to 153 T20 wickets at an economy of 8.41. 65 of his scalps have come in IPL with his economy being 8.73. Against SRH, he has completed 12 wickets across nine matches (ER: 7.44).
3,000 runs in T20 cricket for Curran
Sam Curran fought well for his 29 off 21 balls (2 fours, 2 sixes). The southpaw has now raced to 3,000 T20 runs with his average and strike rate being over 20 and 132, respectively. He has tallied 733 IPL runs, averaging 24.43 (SR: 140.15). Curran, who also claimed two wickets in the game, owns 48 IPL scalps.
