Match overview
Sunrisers Hyderabad chased down 246 at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium on 12 April 2025, winning by 8 wickets to complete one of the more convincing victories of the IPL season. Punjab Kings had posted 245/6 after winning the toss and batting first, a total built on an explosive powerplay of 89/1 and a solid middle phase of 88 runs. SRH's reply was calm and controlled throughout: 83 without loss in the powerplay, then 122 runs for just 1 wicket across the middle overs. By the time the death arrived, the game was already settled. Abhishek Sharma took the Player of the Match award.
Punjab Kings did much of what you would want from a batting side at this ground. Their powerplay score of 89 was more than twice the venue's historical average of 43 runs, and their overall total of 245/6 cleared the average first-innings score of 192 by over 50 runs. The problem was that SRH answered every phase. Their middle-overs phase, in particular, was extraordinary: 122 runs for 1 wicket across overs 7 to 15 effectively ended the contest before the death overs began.
The result tightens SRH's head-to-head record against Punjab Kings to 17 wins from 25 meetings. It was also their latest victory at a venue where the chase success rate sits at 54%, a figure that continues to climb on evidence like this.
Venue and conditions
Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium has hosted 104 IPL matches, making it one of the most data-rich venues in the competition. The average first-innings score of 192 and the average second-innings score of 179 suggest a ground that generally produces high totals, though the 13-run difference between innings points to chasing teams facing slightly more difficulty as the match progresses.
The average powerplay score across all matches here is 43 runs, and the average death-overs contribution sits at 40 runs. Both sides exceeded those benchmarks in this fixture, which reflects the pace and carry in the surface rather than any exceptional conditions. SRH's middle-overs total of 122 was the stand-out phase figure of the match, and it came during the period when this ground tends to show more pace and bounce than flatter venues further south.
The toss has historically favoured neither decision strongly: 49% of toss winners here choose to field, which means there is a modest lean toward chasing but no decisive pattern. Punjab Kings' choice to bat proved costly, though it is hard to criticise a decision that produced 245 runs.
How to watch
IPL 2025 is broadcast live in the UK on Sky Sports Cricket. Subscribers can access matches through Sky Go or via a NOW TV day or monthly pass. Coverage generally includes live commentary, pre-match analysis, and post-match review. Most IPL fixtures involving these two sides fall in the evening India Standard Time, which translates to an afternoon or early evening kickoff in the UK depending on the time of year.
Recent form
Punjab Kings arrived at this fixture with three wins from their last four completed matches in 2025, beating Chennai Super Kings, Lucknow Super Giants, and Gujarat Titans. Their only recent loss before this game was to Rajasthan Royals. On paper, they were the side in better touch.
Sunrisers Hyderabad, by contrast, came into this match having lost four of their last five IPL games in 2025, with defeats against Gujarat Titans, Kolkata Knight Riders, Delhi Capitals, and Lucknow Super Giants preceding a single win over Rajasthan Royals. The result here was a notable turnaround. Whether it marks a shift in form or an isolated performance will likely become clearer over the next few fixtures in the competition.
