Facing marco jansen

Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium: In a match that will long be etched in the annals of the Indian Premier League (IPL) history, Sunrisers Hyderabad pulled off the second-highest successful run chase in the league's history, chasing down a mammoth 246 against Punjab Kings with eight wickets in hand, at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium here on Saturday.

The architects of this record-shattering win were the explosive Abhishek Sharma, who slammed a career-best 141 off 55 balls, and the ever-dependable Travis Head, whose calculated aggression complemented the fire and flair at the other end. The encounter between SRH and PBKS had promised fireworks, but few could have predicted the sheer scale of the pyrotechnics that would follow.

After being sent in to bat, Punjab Kings posted an imposing 245/6, powered by Shreyas Iyer’s commanding 82 and a blistering finish from Marcus Stoinis, who thumped four consecutive sixes in the final over to end unbeaten on 34 off just 11 balls. The pitch had regained its batting-friendly character after a brief flirtation with turn during the previous game against the Gujarat Titans. And it was evident from the very first over of the second innings that this was not a surface where bowlers would have their say.