Welcome to the coverage of the 17th match of IPL 2026 between Punjab Kings and Sunrisers Hyderabad in Mullanpur, New Chandigarh, on Saturday.
A plucky Punjab Kings will back themselves against a star-studded, yet inconsistent, SRH.
Considering how they have started the season, PBKS must be disappointed about sharing a point with KKR in their last game due to rain.
Led by Shreyas Iyer, PBKS have come to symbolise what a winning unit should look like, whether it is chasing down a 200-plus total with ease against Chennai Super Kings in a sea of yellow or overcoming former champions Gujarat Titans on a tricky Mullanpur surface.
They were on course for a third successive win against Kolkata Knight Riders at the Eden Gardens, with Australian quick Xavier Bartlett wreaking havoc, before heavy rain and a thunderstorm forced them to share a point with the hosts.
However the same cannot be said about SRH, who despite their reputation for explosive batting and big totals have faltered this season largely due to top-order collapses as seen against RCB and LSG when the dangerous opening pair of Travis Head and Abhishek Sharma fell cheaply.
They have managed just one win from their first three games.
Adding to their woes, SRH have seen little impact from the likes of Harshal Patel and Jaydev Unadkat.
The batting efforts of Nitish Kumar Reddy and Heinrich Klaasen were among the few positives for SRH against LSG.
Spinner Harsh Dubey has shown glimpses of brilliance in the powerplay and he would be expected to carry on with his form.
Sunrisers Hyderabad will take confidence from their ;dominant head to head record against Punjab Kings with 17 victories out of 24 matches played.
Notably, SRH are unbeaten in their last four games against Punjab Kings.
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