HYDERABAD
Sunrisers Hyderabad captain Pat Cummins has hailed his team’s “fearless” batting unit after a dominant 33-run victory over Punjab Kings propelled them to the top of the IPL 2026 standings. Cummins credited the group’s aggressive mindset for setting a massive total that proved too much for the opposition.
Batting first, Hyderabad posted a towering 235 runs, thanks to blistering half-centuries from Heinrich Klaasen and Ishan Kishan. While both players benefited from dropped catches, they made the most of their luck to dismantle the Punjab bowling attack. Cummins jokingly admitted he was tempted to stay on the sidelines after seeing the team win so consistently under stand-in captain Ishan Kishan earlier this season. “The batters have been on fire, so you don’t have to do too much,” Cummins noted with a smile.
Despite the loss, the match featured a historic moment for Punjab as young Australian Cooper Connolly smashed an unbeaten 107. At just 19, he became the youngest overseas player to score an IPL century. However, his heroic lone battle wasn’t enough to overcome a disciplined Hyderabad bowling performance led by Cummins himself, who took two key wickets and was named Player of the Match.
With this win, Hyderabad moves to 12 points and looks like the team to beat this year. The 2016 champions now enjoy a six-day break before facing the Gujarat Titans on May 12. For Cummins, the current mood in the camp is perfect as the squad begins to peak at the most critical point of the tournament.