Kamal Ghorui
Ishan Kishan appeared to take a cheeky dig at Punjab Kings after Sunrisers Hyderabad secured a commanding 33-run victory in IPL 2026. Kishan played a crucial knock of 55 off 32 balls, but the innings could have ended much earlier as Punjab Kings handed him three lifelines during the match.Over 7.1: Cooper Connolly dropped a straightforward catch at deep backward square off Lockie Ferguson when Kishan was batting on 9.Over 11: Ferguson missed another opportunity at deep midwicket off Yuzvendra Chahal with Kishan on 18. In the same over, wicketkeeper Prabhsimran Singh also failed to complete a stumping chance against the SRH batter.Punjab’s costly fielding lapses proved decisive as SRH piled up a massive 235/4 in their 20 overs. In reply, Punjab Kings fell well short, managing only 202/7 despite a fighting effort.
After the match, Kishan added salt to Punjab’s wounds with a viral Instagram post. Sharing pictures from the game, the SRH wicketkeeper captioned the post: “Catch me, if you can” – a playful reference to the multiple chances PBKS failed to convert.
Match Summary
Sunrisers Hyderabad produced a dominant all-round performance to defeat Punjab Kings by 33 runs in a high-scoring IPL 2026 clash, despite the Hyderabad pitch not quite turning into the batting paradise many had expected.After losing the toss, SRH made full use of the conditions as Abhishek Sharma, Travis Head, Ishan Kishan and Heinrich Klaasen powered the hosts to a formidable 235/4. Kishan smashed 55 off 32 balls, while Klaasen anchored the innings with a brilliant 69 off 43 deliveries.Punjab’s fielding woes proved costly, with Kishan dropped twice and Klaasen also receiving a reprieve early in his innings. Those missed opportunities allowed SRH to fully capitalise after a flying powerplay of 79/1.Pat Cummins led superbly with both ball and in the field as SRH reduced Punjab to 23/3 inside four overs during the chase. Nitish Kumar Reddy removed Prabhsimran Singh early, while Eshan Malinga dismissed skipper Shreyas Iyer, with Cummins taking sharp catches at mid-off.Although Cooper Connolly fought hard with an unbeaten 107 off 59 balls, Punjab never truly recovered from the early collapse. Partnerships with Marcus Stoinis and Suryansh Shedge briefly kept hopes alive, but SRH tightened control through disciplined bowling and key breakthroughs from Cummins and spinner Shivam Singh.Punjab eventually finished on 202/7, falling 33 runs short as SRH climbed to the top of the IPL 2026 points table.
