IPL 2022, SRH VS PBKS: As we move towards the end of IPL 2022, we witnessed the final match of the league stage between Punjab Kings and Sunrisers Hyderabad. Punjab thrashed Hyderabad with 5 wickets to end their 2022 campaign on a high note.
The inconsequential contest that did not have any effect on the points table or playoffs was a great game of T20 cricket where teams played up to their potential but the Kings outplayed the Sunrisers. Punjab put on a tremendous performance on Sunday, utterly outshining its opponents. The victory pushed PBKS to sixth place in the points table, while Sunrisers Hyderabad finished eighth, ahead of Chennai Super Kings and Mumbai Indians.
The Sunrisers winning the toss opted for batting but could not put up a big score to challenge the hard-hitting Punjab side. The team batting first scored a total of 157 for 8 wickets. Even though by the end of the first 10 overs, SRH were at a decent stage with 71 runs and losing just two batters, they had a good chance to push and flare in the next half of the innings. The descent started in the 12th overs with the wicket of Abhishekh Sharma who was playing tremendously well and scored 43 runs in 32 balls.
The next few overs were tough for Sunrisers as they scored at a slow pace which built up pressure and forced batters to hit unnecessary big shots that led to even bigger problems. Sundar and Shephard controlled the dabbling batting of Sunrisers as they built the biggest partnership of 58 runs of innings for the 6th wicket that ended in the final over.
Nathan Ellis went on to take 3 wickets in the 20th over of the innings. All the Punjab bowlers bowled exceptionally well but it was Harpreet Brar who with his great flight and 3 wickets at an economical rate played a crucial role in stopping Hyderabad for a meager total.
The Punjab Kings were in explosive mode on Sunday night. Chasing 158 looked like a comfortable score to chase against any side but to throttle SRH like the way they did in their last match was a sight to explore. Starting off quick, Bairstow scored a fiery 23 off 15 balls giving a good start to PBKS. The team had already scored 62 runs in the first 6 overs at the loss of just one batter.
Though there were some mishaps after the powerplay, Punjab only had 61 runs to chase from 60 balls at the end of 10 overs. Liam Livingstone played a power-packed innings to live by his reputation as the key middle-order player for the Kings. He scored 49 runs off 22 balls at the strike rate of 222. The team chased down the score in just 15.1 overs and went on to win the match by 5 wickets with 29 balls remaining.
Both the teams will look onto to working on their mistakes at the end towards the bottom of the points table. Even after getting a good Auction, Punjab’s players failed to perform. Their approach was to hit big or go home and that clearly didn’t work as they went home, empty-handed. While Kings needs to manage it’s playing 11 better, Sunrisers will look to strengthen their batting much like their bowling on which they heavily rely. They have to get more X factor players or groom the young talent off-season to prepare them better for the IPL scenario.
As the league stage of the IPL 2022 ends, the playoffs are to be played on Tuesday where Gujarat Titans will take on Rajasthan Royals in Kolkata to decide which among the two teams qualifies for the finals.
