Abhishek Sharma returned to form with a breathtaking 141 off 55 balls, overshadowing Shreyas Iyer’s 82, as Sunrisers Hyderabad scripted the second-highest run chase in IPL history to return to winning ways with a comprehensive eight-wicket win over Punjab Kings in a high-scoring encounter here on Saturday.

Opting to bat, PBKS skipper Shreyas Iyer smashed a blistering 82 off 36 balls, laced with six sixes and as many fours, powering his side to a mammoth 245 for six, despite a four-wicket haul by Harshal Patel (4/42).

However, it was Abhishek Sharma, who had been struggling for form this season, whole stole the show with a sensational display of clean hitting. 

The southpaw, who was dropped twice, hammered 10 sixes and 14 fours, recording the highest individual score by an Indian in the history of IPL. SRH, languishing at the bottom of the table, chased down the target scoring 247 in just 18.3 overs, snapping a four-game losing streak.

Lockie Ferguson’s hamstring injury after bowling just two balls hampered Punjab Kings as they were left with a bowler short.

If Abhishek was the chief aggressor, smashing his way to an entertaining fifty in just 19 balls, AustralianTravis Head provided solid support, blasting three sixes and nine fours in a fluent 66 off 37 balls. The duo put on a record 171-run opening stand, making a mockery of the daunting chase.

The 24-year-old from Punjab dismantled the PBKS bowling attack with brute force. Marco Jansen was taken for four boundaries in the second over, and Yash Thakur was clobbered for two sixes and a four as SRH stormed to 60 in just four overs.

Part-time spinner Glenn Maxwell was welcomed with a six over extra cover and a four, but the real damage was felt by Yuzvendra Chahal, who dropped Abhishek off his own bowling and was later dispatched into the stands at midwicket.

Having played second fiddle early on, Head shifted gears in the ninth over, smashing Maxwell for back-to-back sixes. With Sunrisers in full flow, PBKS skipper Iyer used seven bowlers within the first nine overs, but none could make a breakthrough — partly due to some sloppy fielding.

Abhishek exploded again in the 10th over, carting Jansen for two sixes and two fours as SRH raced to 143 for no loss in 10 overs at the halfway mark.

Chahal finally broke the partnership in the 13th over, with Head holing out to long-on. Abhishek soon reached his maiden IPL century in 40 balls and celebrated by pulling out a piece of white paper from his pocket.

Needing 60 off the last six overs, Abhishek continued the carnage with two sixes and a four off Chahal, bringing up SRH’s 200 in the 15th over.

Thakur was smashed for another six and four before Arshdeep Singh finally ended Abhishek’s dream innings in the 17th over. But it was too little, too late, as Heinrich Klaasen (21) and Ishan Kishan (9) finished the chase comfortably.

Earlier, openers Priyansh Arya (36) and Prabhsimran Singh (42) provided a blazing 66-run start, but it was skipper Shreyas Iyer who anchored the innings with a whirlwind 82 off 36 balls, hitting six sixes and as many fours. He shared a 73-run stand off 40 balls with Nehal Wadhera (22).

Marcus Stoinis provided the final flourish, hammering Mohammed Shami (0/75) for four consecutive sixes in the last over as Punjab Kings posted a daunting total.

On a belter of a pitch, the PBKS openers came out all guns blazing, powering their side to a commanding 89/1 in the Powerplay.

Prabhsimran set the tone by hitting Mohammed Shami (0/75) for three boundaries, before Priyansh tore into Pat Cummins (0/40) with a six and two fours. The left-hander then smashed Shami for two successive sixes and a four, while Prabhsimran flicked another delivery for a maximum as Punjab raced to 50 in just three overs.

Harshal Patel (4/42) eventually broke the opening stand, outfoxing Priyansh with a slower delivery that was mistimed to Nitish Reddy.

Harshal could have had Prabhsimran too, but Abhishek Sharma dropped a difficult chance. The Kings ended the Powerplay on a high, with Iyer finishing it in style with a six.

SRH finally got some relief when Sri Lankan pacer Eshan Malinga (2/45), making his IPL debut, dismissed Prabhsimran in the next over after the opener slapped a slower ball straight to Cummins.

However, Malinga was taken apart in his second over, with Iyer and Wadhera hitting him for a six each.

Leg-spinner Zeeshan Ansari, who bowled two tight overs without conceding a boundary, was then launched for two sixes and a reverse-hit four by Iyer over long-off, showcasing the PBKS skipper’s form and flair.

Iyer completed his half-century with a sliced boundary off Shami, while Wadhera kept the scoreboard ticking with a fine-leg swipe.

PBKS lost two quick wickets as Malinga produced a yorker to dismiss Wadhera, and Harshal Patel trapped Shashank Singh (2) LBW after a successful DRS review, reducing the visitors to 168/4 in the 15th over.

Unfazed, Iyer continued the carnage, smashing Ansari over extra cover and punishing Malinga with three successive boundaries as PBKS crossed the 200-run mark in the 17th over.

Harshal came back strongly in the 18th over, removing Glenn Maxwell and Iyer within three balls to peg Punjab back.

Stoinis provided the final flourish, hammering a hapless Shami for four consecutive sixes in the last four balls of the innings, as PBKS finished with a towering total.

Chennai Super Kings (CSK) on Friday suffered a humiliating eight-wicket defeat to Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR), as the MS Dhoni-led side, for the first time, lost three matches in a row at their hallowed home ground of Chepauk in their proud Indian Premier League history.

It was yet another dismal batting performance by the five-time champions, who were completely dismantled by a clinical KKR side, slumping to their fifth straight loss of the season.

The disappointing showing came in a match where the legendary Dhoni took charge of the team after regular skipper Ruturaj Gaikwad was ruled out of the remainder of the IPL due to injury.

Dhoni managed just one run off four balls before being dismissed in the 16th over, having come in to bat at number nine.

Invited to bat, a completely disoriented CSK could manage only a paltry 103 for nine, their lowest total at Chepauk, as KKR dished out a clinical bowling show.

It was CSK’s third lowest total in the IPL and the lowest by any team in this edition so far.

Chasing a paltry 104 for a win, KKR cantered home in 10.1 overs with opener Sunil Narine bludgeoning his way to a 18-ball 44 studded with two fours and five sixes.

Captain Ajinkya Rahane also played his part with a solid 20 not out off 17 balls, while Quinton de Kock, the other opener, contributed 23. Rinku Singh also remained not out on 15 off 12 balls.

Narine greeted Khaleel Ahmed with a six in the first over itself before de Kock did the same to Anshul Kamboj as runs came pouring. De Kock then punished Ahmed with two sixes.

Narine did not spare former India spinner R Ashwin, hitting him for a six and a four in the fourth over.

De Kock fell in the fifth over but one-down Rahane did not give any respite to the CSK bowlers as KKR reached 71 for 1 after powerplay overs.

KKR needed just 33 runs after powerplay and they lost Narine in the eighth over but achieved the target without any fuss.

Rinku Singh finished the chase in style, hitting a six off Ravindra Jadeja in the 11th over. 

Earlier, Narine (3/13) grabbed three wickets, while Harshit Rana and Varun Chakaravarthy got two each after CSK were invited to bat. Nothing went right for CSK in their home ground as they could hit just eight boundaries and a six in the entire innings.

Shivam Dube top-scored with an unbeaten 31 off 29 balls, while Vijay Shankar made 29 after living a charmed life. Only two other CSK batters made runs in double-digit figures. 

CSK’s powerplay woes continued as they made 31 for the loss of two wickets, the second lowest by any team in six overs this season. It could have been much lower but for the 13 runs scored in the sixth over with back-to-back fours from Shankar off Chakaravarthy.

Moeen Ali removed Devon Conway (12) in the fourth over, while Rana got the wicket of Rachin Ravindra (4) in the fifth. The home side would have been three down during powerplay had Narine not dropped Shankar in the fifth over, failing to hold on to a sitter at mid-off.

Shankar’s luck finally ran out in the 10th over as he holed out to Moeen, leaving CSK at 61 for 3 at the halfway stage.

Wickets continued to tumble as the struggling Rahul Tripathi (22) was clean-bowled by Narine, Ravichandran Ashwin was out for one run from seven balls and Ravindra Jadeja (0) also lasted just two balls. The home side were 71 for 6 at that stage.

After Deepak Hooda (0) fell in the next over, Dhoni came out to bat with CSK at 72 for 7 in 14.2 overs.

The writing was on the wall for CSK and the Chepauk crowd fell silent when Dhoni was adjudged LBW off Narine. Dhoni opted for a review, seemingly indicating there was bat involved, but the decision stood.

More than four overs were left after Dhoni’s departure and CSK went past the 100-run mark, thanks mainly to Dube.

The craftiness of spinners Kuldeep Yadav and Vipraj Nigam echoed in the assiduous unbeaten 93 of KL Rahul as Delhi Capitals overcame a top-order meltdown to score a six-wicket win over Royal Challengers Bengaluru in their IPL match in Bengaluru on Thursday.

Once the Royal Challengers were restricted to 163 for seven, the Capitals just needed to bat with common sense but it was a rare commodity in their frontline batters on the night.

But player of the match KL Rahul, whose knock came off 53 balls with seven fours and six sixes, added 111 runs for the fourth wicket with an equally level-headed Tristan Stubbs (38 not out) to score their fourth victory on the bounce.

DC made 169 for four.

Rahul’s innings was a prime example of risk management as he started at a slower tempo before shifting the gears seamlessly.

The way Rahul, who was dropped on five by Rajat Patidar off Yash Dayal, dealt with leg-spinner Suyansh Sharma and pacer Josh Hazlewood underlined his intelligent approach.

He was prudent against Suyansh, waiting for his chances to score runs on a sluggish track and carted him for a lone six — a sweep over mid-wicket.

But once Hazlewood returned for his second spell, Rahul used the extra pace to good effect to manufacture big shots such as a scorching six over the bowlers’ head.

Stubbs too joined his partners with a couple of lovely straight hits off Bhuvneshwar to the fence as DC strolled home.

However, they had a horror start to the chase as Faf du Plessis, who came back for this match after missing the game against Chennai Super Kings with a niggle, skied Dayal for Rajat Patidar to complete a fine catch.

The mode of dismissal echoed twice soon as Jake-Fraser McGurk and Abhishek Porel walked back to the shed in the same manner.

The visitors were in a quagmire at 30 for three well inside the Power Play, which they eventually finished at 39 for three.

Rahul and captain Axar Patel (15) added 28 runs for the fourth wicket, and the DC innings seemed to have gotten back on the track.

But Axar’s attempt to find the boundary over covers off Suyansh could not progress beyond the running-in Tim David.

However, that was the last of the blips in the DC innings as Rahul marked their triumph with a six off Dayal which he celebrated with a sword-on-the-ground celebration.

The wizardry of spinners Kuldeep Yadav and Vipraj Nigam helped Delhi Capitals stage a stirring comeback to restrict Royal Challengers Bengaluru to a below-par 163 for seven in the IPL match in Bengaluru on Thursday.

Left-arm wrist spinner Kuldeep (2/17) and leg-spinner Nigam (2/18) adjusted their lengths beautifully on a pitch that had a touch of sluggishness to drag RCB innings into a marshy pit after the Capitals chose to bowl first.

But Delhi’s decision to field looked utterly obtuse as Royal Challengers went off the blocks like a galloping horse, going past the 50-run mark in just three overs.

Central to that charge was opener Phil Salt’s turbo-charged innings of 37 off 17 balls.

The England batter hammered Mitchell Starc for a sequence of 6, 4, 4, 4, 6 to collect 24 runs in the third over.

However, Salt got run out in a yes-no situation involving Virat Kohli (22, 14b). Kohli and Salt added 61 runs off 24 balls for the opening stand.

But the introduction of leg-spinner Vipraj Nigam proved a course-altering point.

Nigam gave away just two runs in the fifth over, and pacer Mohit Sharma followed that up with another tidy few balls in the next over.

Pressurised by a series of dot balls, Devdutt Padikkal (1) went for a release shot off Mohit, but it lacked any kinetic energy as Axar Patel completed an easy catch at the edge of the circle.

Kohli, who began to unshackle himself with a six off Nigam over long-on, soon fell to the same bowler while trying to clobber a delivery wide on the off-stump.

Thereafter, the home side lost the wickets of Jitesh Sharma (4) and Liam Livingstone (3) in quick succession as they slipped to 102 for five in the 13th over, a far cry from the start they had.

In fact, the hosts lost five wickets for a mere 41 runs in just over eight overs, as DC bowlers exploited a hint grip on the surface to telling effect.

The passage between overs 6th and 13th also saw RCB batters managing just two fours and a six.

However, The RCB camp might have harboured some hopes of reaching a much more competitive total through skipper Rajat Patidar, who played a couple of delectable shots.

But Kuldeep’s skidder ended Patidar’s stay (25) as stumper KL Rahul safely held the ball which almost touched the moon and came back.

Tim David (37 not out, 20b) played a few customary beefy shots in the death overs but it came a wee bit late as RCB’s innings ended on a sad note of what could have been.