Final Result:
Sunrisers Hyderabad dethroned Rajasthan Royals from second spot on the points table after ending their league campaign with a resounding 4-wicket win over Punjab Kings at Uppal.
Hyderabad gunned down the massive target of 215 with 5 balls to spare after Abhishek Sharma (66) and Heinrich Klaasen (42) fired with the bat for the hosts.
For Punjab, Arshdeep Singh and Harshal Patel grabbed a couple of wickets each. With this defeat, PBKS finish their IPL 2024 campaign just above the Mumbai Indians in 9th position with 5 wins from 14 T20s.
Mid-Innings Update:
Punjab Kings managed to post a competitive total of 214 for 5 in 20 overs after electing to bat first at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium in Hyderabad.
Opener Prabhsimran Singh top-scored with 71 while Rilee Rossouw made 49 and stand-in captain Jitesh Sharma contributed with 32 not out off 15 balls.
For Sunrisers Hyderabad, T Natarajan grabbed a couple of wickets while Vijayakanth Viyaskanth and Pat Cummins took one each.
Toss Update:
Punjab Kings have won the toss and elected to bat first against Sunrisers Hyderabad at Uppal. PBKS are being led by Jitesh Sharma for the first time as Sam Curran has returned home to England.
South African Rilee Rossouw is the only foreign player in PBKS XI as all other overseas cricketers have returned home to prepare for the upcoming T20 World Cup next month.
Hyderabad meanwhile, have brought in Rahul Tripathi in place of a bowler.
Pitch Report
"A lot of runs on offer, there's no grass on the surface, the ball will spin later. A few cracks on the wicket. Looks like a belter, SRH would like to end this league stage with another big score," reckons Brian Lara.
SRH vs PBKS Preview:
Elevated on assurance post achieving their debut playoffs in a triad of years, Sunrisers Hyderabad will target a runner-up conclusion in the IPL standings when confronting Punjab Kings in their ultimate league encounter here on Sunday.
Sunrisers Hyderabad, who had concluded at the lowest echelon in each of the previous three renditions of the IPL, emerged vigorously this year to solidify their stance as formidable contenders for the championship with their highly assertive batting tactics and adept bowling.
The squad led by Pat Cummins secured a place in the top four a few evenings ago subsequent to their encounter against Gujarat Titans at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium here being cancelled due to inclement weather.
Positioned at the third rank with 15 points from 13 fixtures, SRH could attain a maximum of 17 points if they outperform PBKS on Sunday.
Nevertheless, if the faltering Rajasthan Royals triumph over table-toppers Kolkata Knight Riders in the final league match, the ensemble helmed by Sanju Samson will surpass SRH to clinch the second position with 18 points.
