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Ishan Kishan admitted that Sunrisers Hyderabad fell well short of a potential 250 total despite a flying start, pointing to poor execution with the bat in the death overs. Punjab Kings, led by Shreyas Iyer, capitalised on that lapse with a composed chase to seal a six-wicket win.

Sunrisers Hyderabad's interim captain Ishan Kishan lamented his side's poor finishing with the bat in their six-wicket loss to Punjab Kings at the New Chandigarh Stadium on Saturday, after the hosts chased down the target with seven balls to spare under Shreyas Iyer's leadership.

Kishan felt his side had enough momentum early on to push for a much bigger total. Travis Head and Abhishek Sharma finally delivered on their promise at the top, powering SRH to 105 in the powerplay. However, the innings lost steam through the middle and back end, as PBKS pulled things back to restrict SRH to 219 in their 20 overs.

"In the middle, we could have ended up with a total of 250, at least the way we got started. But things happen. We did not end up getting those runs," Kishan said after the match.

The dip was most evident in the death overs, where SRH managed just 37 runs while losing three wickets, allowing PBKS to regain control. "I feel we were not so good with the execution. Like I said earlier, in T20 cricket, the most important thing is the execution of your good balls. So we were not that great today," he added.

MIDDLE-OVERS CONTROL PROVES DECISIVE
Punjab Kings also made a strong start to their chase, racing to 93 without loss in the powerplay. However, Sunrisers Hyderabad clawed their way back into the contest as Shivam Sharma removed the top three in quick succession.

Reflecting on his side’s inability to defend a 200-plus total, Ishan Kishan admitted that poor execution with the ball proved costly. “We had six or seven bowlers. It showed in their (PBKS) batting that it was easier to score runs for them. I think in today’s age, you don’t have to plan much — you just stay ahead of the game. You know which batter hits where. When you don’t execute your balls, you have nothing — you just end up conceding 10–20 extra runs,” he said.

PBKS captain Shreyas Iyer once again led from the front, registering consecutive fifties in the tournament. His composure and control through the middle overs proved decisive in steering the chase.

PBKS assistant coach Brad Haddin echoed that sentiment, highlighting the team’s calmness after the power play. “But I think the one thing we did really well after those first six overs was that we stayed calm and got the game back, a little bit of momentum back in those middle overs. Looking at both sides and how they played those middle overs, that’s where the game was won,” he said after the match.
SRH will now return to Hyderabad to host an in-form Rajasthan Royals on April 13, while PBKS travel to the Wankhede Stadium to take on the Mumbai Indians in their next fixture.