Punjab Kings captain Shreyas Iyer admitted they didn’t bowl according to expectations after suffering an eight-wicket loss against Sunrisers Hyderabad at the Rajiv Gandhi International Cricket Stadium, Hyderabad on Saturday.

Batting first, PBKS posted a par score of 245 runs on the board after Iyer scored a brilliant knock of 82 runs off just 36 balls. However, the Orange Army chased down the target with nine balls to spare after Abhishek Sharma scored a match-winning knock of 141 runs off just 55 balls. 

Furthermore, Travis Head scored 66 runs off 37 balls as the Australian and Sharma added 171 runs for the opening alliance.

Shreyas Iyer said in the post-match presentation, “I think it was a fantastic total to be honest. Still making me laugh that they (SRH) chased it with 2 overs to spare. We could have taken a few catches, but he (Abhishek) was lucky. He was exceptional. In a nutshell we didn’t bowl to our expectations, we have to go to the drawing board and make amends. The opening partnership (between Abhishek and Head) was phenomenal, they didn’t give us too many opportunities to capitalize.”

He added, “The over-rotation could have been better from our side. Ferguson can give you wickets, but that (injuries) happens, it’s a part and parcel of the game. These are the learnings for us going forward. The other bowlers could have done the same though. Myself and Wadhera thought 230 was a good total, but I think the dew made it harder for us (during the second innings.) The way they (SRH openers) batted was out of the world, it (Abhishek’s knock) was one of the best knock I have seen.”

PBKS bowlers had no answers as they were taken to the cleaners by Abhishek Sharma and Travis Head. Sharma was the aggressor whereas Head played a second-fiddle role as both the left-handers played at their best.

Punjab Kings will next take on Kolkata Knight Riders at the Maharaja Yadavindra Singh International Cricket Stadium, Mullanpur, Chandigarh on Tuesday.