Abhishek plunders 141 as Hyderabad pull off second-highest IPL chase

HYDERABAD: Abhishek Sharma lit up the IPL on Saturday with a spectacular 141 off 55 balls to steer Sunrisers Hyderabad to the second-highest successful chase in tournament history of 246 as they downed Punjab Kings by eight wickets.
Earlier, Nicholas Pooran continued his incredible form with 61 to help Lucknow Super Giants end Gujarat Titans’ winning streak of four matches, coming out on top by six wickets.
The 24-year-old Abhishek put on the best stand so far this season of 171 with opening partner Travis Head, who hit 66, in a chase achieved with nine balls to spare.
“We didn’t talk (about) anything,” Abhishek said of the mood ahead of the chase. “It was just natural play for us.

The partnership boosted me up.”
Punjab hold the record winning chase of 262 against Kolkata Knight Riders at Eden Gardens last year.
Abhishek’s individual score is the third highest in IPL history behind Chris Gayle (175 not out for Bengaluru) and Brendon McCullum (158 not out for Kolkata) and the largest in 12 years.
“This one is very special, because I wanted to break that losing streak,” added Abhishek. “Losing four matches back to back was very tough.