Shashank Singh and Ashutosh Sharma nearly pulled off a victory from the jaws of defeat for Punjab Kings (PBKS) against Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) in Mullanpur on Tuesday (April 9).

Chasing 183 to win, the hosts were in a spot of bother at 114/6 during the 16th over. Amid the pressure situation, Shashank Singh and Ashutosh Sharma stepped up to the plate. The duo stitched an explosive 66-run partnership but PBKS agonizingly fell two runs short of SRH’s total.  

As the match entered its thrilling climax, needing 29 runs off the final over delivered by Jaydev Unadkat, Shashank and Ashutosh managed to accumulate 26 runs and finished unbeaten on 46 (25 balls) and 33 (15 balls).

After the game, PBKS skipper Shikhar Dhawan hailed the duo's fighting spirit when all seemed lost for the home side.

"It is great to see those youngsters coming in and chipping in. We are going to bounce back from this loss. There was always the hope that they could finish the game. Hats off to them that they brought it this close. Gives us confidence and hope for the next game. We have to do better in certain areas and improve," Dhawan said at the post-match presentation.

The southpaw highlighted that the first six overs of the Punjab innings were the turning point, leading to their loss in the match.

"I feel that we kept them to a good total. Unfortunately, we could not cash in on the first six overs and that is where we lost the game. That pinched us hard. The wicket was not offering that much bounce so every individual has to come up with better plans. Because we got out…of course we would want to change our strokes. I feel that at the end, we dropped that catch on the last ball. We could have stopped 10-15 runs more and that made a difference as well. As a batting unit, we did not perform," he added.

It was Punjab Kings’ third defeat in five games this season. They are currently holding the sixth spot in the 10-team points table.

Punjab Kings will next face Rajasthan Royals in Mullanpur on Saturday (April 13).