New Chandigarh, April 11 (IANS) Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) captain Ishan Kishan admitted his side fell short in execution despite posting a competitive total, after suffering a six-wicket defeat against Punjab Kings (PBKS) in the 17th match of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 at the PCA New International Cricket Stadium in New Chandigarh on Sunday.

Chasing a challenging target of 220, Punjab Kings rode on strong starts from Priyansh Arya and Prabhsimran Singh, followed by a composed unbeaten knock from skipper Shreyas Iyer, to complete the chase in just 18.5 overs.

“We could have ended with a total of 240 at least. But you know, things happen. We were not so good with execution. Like I said earlier, in T20 cricket, the most important thing is the execution of your good balls. So we were not that great today,” Kishan said in the post-match presentation.

Earlier, SRH got off to a flying start with Abhishek Sharma and Travis Head dominating the powerplay and putting the opposition under pressure. Abhishek played a blistering knock, helping the team cross the 100-run mark inside the first six overs.

Despite losing wickets in the middle overs, SRH managed to post 219 on the board. However, the total proved insufficient as PBKS batters kept the required rate under control throughout the chase.

Kishan felt his side had enough runs but failed to adapt to the opposition batters’ approach.

“I thought 219 was a good total anyway, just because we started in a very good manner, we thought we could end up getting 240, but I think 219 was a very good total, especially having six or seven bowlers on our side who can bowl.”

Punjab Kings capitalised on loose bowling and maintained momentum even after losing a couple of wickets in the middle phase, making the chase look comfortable towards the end.

Kishan pointed out that SRH bowlers struggled to read the batters and execute plans accordingly. “We need to just understand the batters, how they’re going to bat, what they’re going to do. But I think we were lacking at that point in time. I think that showed in their batting there. It was pretty easy for them to score runs in the end.”

Meanwhile, after three losses in four games, SRH will next face table toppers Rajasthan Royals (RR) on April 13 at their home ground, Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium in Hyderabad.

— IANS

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