Mullanpur, April 11 Abhishek Sharma unleashed a ferocious attack, scoring 74 off 28 balls before Punjab Kings rallied to stop Sunrisers Hyderabad at 219 for six in their Indian Premier League match here on Saturday.
Sent in to bat, Abhishek and Travis Head (38 off 23 balls) demolished the PBKS bowlers with a 120-run opening partnership in just 8.1 overs.
The home team then staged a comeback after Shashank Singh (2/20 in 3 overs) dismissed both openers in a single over, and as a result, SRH, who were 120 for no loss at the start of the ninth over, were all out for 220.
Xavier Bartlett (1/42 in 4 overs) bowled a brilliant final over, conceding only five runs.
This followed Abhishek's six sixes and five fours.
Abhishek got off to a quick start, hitting a boundary off Arshdeep Singh after the left-arm seamer offered him width to free his arms.
Abhishek then smashed boundaries off Bartlett and launched into Arshdeep, scoring 24 runs with the help of two fours and two sixes, including one straight six and another off a top edge over third man.
Marco Jansen was also taken to the cleaners, scoring 16 runs in the left-arm quick's first over, as SRH reached 60 for no loss in four overs.
Abhishek reached his half-century in 18 balls with a six over long-on off a Vyshak Vijaykumar slower ball, and two balls later, a full toss was lofted over long-on for another maximum, bringing up another 24-run over, which propelled SRH to 84 for no loss in five overs, the best powerplay score at this venue.
Abhishek enjoyed registering his first half-century of the season and was hugged by Head, before the two resumed their aggressive hitting.
Bartlett came back, but the attack continued unabated, as Head then hit three consecutive boundaries and Abhishek pummelled one over deep midwicket for a maximum, bringing up SRH's 100 inside the powerplay.
With his frontline seamers leaking runs, Punjab captain Shreyas Iyer brought in Shashank Singh and spinner Yuzvendra Chahal to slow things down, and the former conceded only six runs in his first over.
Leg-spinner Chahal conceded only three runs in his first five balls before Abhishek smashed him for a big six.
Continuing with Shashank paid off for PBKS as he effected the much-needed first breakthrough with an innocuous delivery that Head hit to the fielder at long-on.
Shashank struck again as Abhishek was caught by Arshdeep after the batter slashed a fuller-length ball but could not clear the boundary.
Showing astute captaincy, Shreyas gave Chahal another over, and in the context of the game, he did the job asked of him by conceding only nine runs.
SRH captain Ishan Kishan (27 off 17) was dismissed by Arshdeep, while Heinrich Klaasen (39 off 33) was dismissed in the final over.