SRH vs PBKS: Abhishek Sharma smashes records with 55-ball 141 as Sunrisers bounce back with stunning victory

Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) snapped their four-match losing streak and brought their 2025 Indian Premier League (IPL) campaign back on track with a stunning eight-wicket victory over Punjab Kings in Hyderabad on Friday. Abhishek Sharma was the highlight of the Saturday double-header with his knock of 141 off just 55 balls, bringing up his maiden IPL century and sharing a mammoth opening partnership with Travis Head (66 off 37 balls).

SRH, thus, made light work of the mammoth 246-run target set by PBKS, chasing it down with nine deliveries to spare to climb out of the bottom of the points table. The Shreyas Iyer-led Kings, on the other hand, have now lost two of their last three games after starting the season with back-to-back wins.

Abhishek roared back to form after a poor start to the season with the bat, completing his century in just 40 balls – the fifth-fastest in the IPL. That wasn’t all as far as smashing records at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium in Hyderabad was concerned as Abhishek also posted the highest score by an Indian batter in the world’s biggest T20 league as well as the highest individual score in a chase.

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Abhishek, who had struck his maiden international century in just his second appearance in Zimbabwe last year, failed to see his team through till the end as he was dismissed off Arshdeep Singh’s bowling in the 17th over. Heinrich Klaasen (21 not out) and Ishan Kishan (9 not out) ensured PBKS did not pull off a last-minute trick as they steered SRH home with an unbroken 25-run stand.

Earlier Iyer had produced a captains’ knock to ensure Punjab finished within touching distance of the 250-mark, smashing 82 off just 36 deliveries. Priyansh Arya, who had smashed a 39-ball ton against Chennai Super Kings in PBKS’ previous outing, could manage 36 off 13 balls and stitched a 66-run opening stand with Prabhsimran Singh (42 off 23 balls) in just four overs.

Abhishek reveals he ‘wanted to break that losing streak’

Abhishek was but a natural choice for the Player of the Match award after producing one of the most memorable knocks in the history of the league. And during his interview in the post-match presentation ceremony, the 24-year-old revealed the motivation behind his knock, while crediting the team and captain Pat Cummins for maintaining a positive atmosphere in the dressing room despite four consecutive losses.

“Special mention to the team and captain. The atmosphere was simple even though the batters were not doing well. It was a special day for both of us (him and Head).

“This one is very special, because I wanted to break that losing streak. Losing four match back to back was very tough. But we never talked about it in the team. Special mention to Yuvi paji (Yuvraj Singh) and Suryakumar as well. They have been touch with me,” Abhishek said after guiding SRH to their second victory of the season.

Also Read | What Abhishek Sharma's celebration was all about after slamming 40-ball ton vs PBKS

Iyer, who had played a blinder of a knock himself, couldn’t help but describe Abhishek’s knock as one of the best he has seen in the IPL, while taking responsibility for his team failing to collect catches at crucial moments as well as for their underwhelming bowling performance.

“It (245) was a fantastic total. It has been making me laugh with the way they have chased it with two overs to spare. We could have taken two exceptional catches. He (Abhisek) was a bit lucky as well even though he played an exceptional knock. Catches win you matches and we fell short there. We didn’t bowl well but we have to go back to the drawing board. The way he smashed the ball and the opening partnership was great. Over here, the over rotation would have been better from my side.

“When we discussed out there, we thought 230 was a good score. But with the dew coming in, it made the wicket a bit easier. Also credit where due. The way they batted was out of the world. It was one of the best knocks I have seen in the IPL,” Iyer, who had led Kolkata Knight Riders to their third title last year, said after the game.