Summary of this article
Sunrisers Hyderabad defeated Punjab Kings by 33 runs after posting 235/4 in Hyderabad
Pat Cummins was named Player of the Match for his all-round impact, finishing with 2/34 and leading SRH sharply in the field
Cooper Connolly smashed an unbeaten 107 off 59 balls for PBKS, but the visitors still suffered a third straight defeat
Sunrisers Hyderabad defeated Punjab Kings by 33 runs in IPL 2026 on May 6 at the Rajiv Gandhi International Cricket Stadium to climb to the top of the points table.
SRH piled up 235/4 after being handed multiple reprieves by PBKS in the field before restricting the visitors despite a stunning unbeaten century from Cooper Connolly.
Travis Head and Abhishek Sharma once again tore into the opposition in the powerplay, racing SRH to 79 in six overs. Abhishek blasted 35 off just 13 balls while Head struck 38 off 19 before Lockie Ferguson and Yuzvendra Chahal briefly pulled things back.
PBKS, however, let the game slip through their hands with dropped catches and a missed stumping. Ishan Kishan survived three chances and made them pay with a 32-ball 55, while Heinrich Klaasen hammered 69 off 43 balls.
Nitish Kumar Reddy then provided the late surge with an unbeaten 29 off 13 as SRH finished with another massive total.
Punjab’s chase never truly recovered after an early collapse. Pat Cummins outfoxed Priyansh Arya with a clever short ball trap in the opening over before Nitish removed Prabhsimran Singh immediately.
Eshan Malinga then dismissed Shreyas Iyer cheaply as PBKS slipped into trouble inside the powerplay. Marcus Stoinis attempted to counterattack, but wickets continued to fall regularly around Connolly.
Connolly stood tall amid the collapse and produced a lone-handed effort for PBKS. The Australian all-rounder mixed composure with aggression, striking boundaries against both pace and spin while keeping the chase alive deep into the innings.
He reached his maiden T20 century off the final over and remained unbeaten on 107 off 59 balls, but received little support from the other end, with the next-best score being just 28.
SRH’s bowlers kept mixing slower deliveries and hard lengths effectively to seal their third straight victory while condemning PBKS to a third consecutive defeat.
Pat Cummins - Player of the Match
Pat Cummins led from the front with both tactics and execution in a crucial phase of the game. The SRH captain removed Priyansh Arya in the very first over with a cleverly disguised short ball after setting up the field for a fuller delivery.
He also took an excellent running catch to dismiss Prabhsimran Singh and later grabbed Shreyas Iyer’s catch at mid-off to tighten Sunrisers Hyderabad’s grip on the contest. His figures of 2/34 ensured Punjab Kings never gained momentum in the chase.
