In match number 17 of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026, the Punjab Kings (PBKS) are hosting Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) in the first game of a double-header on Saturday (April 11) at the Maharaja Yadavindra Singh International Cricket Stadium in Mullanpur. While the Shreyas Iyer & Co are coming into this game after a washout against Kolkata Knight Riders, SRH went down against Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) in Hyderabad.
But as the two teams took the field, the Punjab Kings were spotted wearing black armbands. The decision by the Punjab-based franchise came as a mark of respect for those affected in the boat accident in Vrindavan, where several tourists even lost their lives. The franchise earlier in the day also took to their social handles to express grief, and stand in solidarity with the families.
Notably, a group of around 37 tourists from Ludhiana were part of the boat capsized on Friday afternoon in the midstream of Yamuna. The accident happened at a site which is just 2 km away from the revered Banke Bihari temple. However, reports claimed several casualties, at least 10 people were reported to be among the dead while over 22 people were rescued. According to the recent updates, rescue teams, including personnel from the NDRF and the Army have been deployed for the search mission whereas the boat operator has been arrested due to his negligence.
Abhishek Sharma gives brisk start to SRH after being put to bat
For the unversed, PBKS skipper Shreyas Iyer won the toss and elected to bowl first. As a result, the visitors were told to put the score first on the board. On the back of a 28-ball 74 from Abhishek Sharma and a crucial 120-run stand for the opening helped the Sunrisers set the tone of the game. After the opening batters’ dismissal, Heinrich Klaasen and Ishan Kishan stitched a 47-run stand with the former steering the innings above 200 with his 33-ball 39.
