Punjab Kings all-rounder Marcus Stoinis delivered a powerful cameo on Saturday by smashing four consecutive sixes in the final over against SunRisers Hyderabad pacer Mohammed Shami. The Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 fixture was played at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium in Hyderabad. Stoinis remained unbeaten on 34 off just 11 balls. He struck one four and four sixes in his innings. His final-over fireworks helped Punjab Kings post 245 for 6 in their 20 overs. This total became the franchise’s second-highest in IPL history.
Shami struggled in the final over as Stoinis hit him for four successive sixes. The senior pacer ended with figures of 0 for 75 from four overs. This became the second-worst bowling performance in IPL history. The only spell more expensive was by Jofra Archer, who conceded 76 runs for Rajasthan Royals earlier this season. Shami kept bowling short balls and full tosses. Stoinis made full use of them as he cleared the ropes with ease. The right-handed batter punished Shami all over the ground, leaving no room for error.
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Earlier, Punjab Kings had a strong start with openers Priyansh Arya and Prabhsimran Singh scoring 36 and 42 runs respectively. Skipper Shreyas Iyer played a captain’s knock with 82 runs off 36 balls, which included six fours and six sixes.
Despite SunRisers Hyderabad pulling things back in the death overs by picking regular wickets, the final over by Shami turned the momentum in Punjab’s favour. Harshal Patel was the standout bowler for SunRisers. He picked up four wickets including key dismissals of Arya, Iyer, Shashank Singh and Glenn Maxwell.
Speaking at the mid-innings break, Stoinis said, “Nice to make a contribution. A little cameo from me there. There was a bit of spin and bounce. It’s a very good score. It depends on how we start in the powerplay and how we finish.”
Punjab’s total of 245 for 6 is second only to their 262 for 2 against Kolkata Knight Riders in the 2024 season.
