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Fans praise Shedge's IPL fifty [Source: X]
The Punjab Kings’ swashbuckling top-order suffered a rare failure as they visited the Narendra Modi Stadium, Ahmedabad, to face the Gujarat Titans in Match 46 of IPL 2026.
After being put in to bat first by Shubman Gill, the Mumbai youngster, Suryansh Shedge, better known for his prowess as a finisher, was called in to action early in the first innings. However, pulling his team back in the contest, he made sure the team got to a competitive first innings score with his maiden IPL fifty.
Praising his blistering fifty, fans went all gung-ho and called out his teammate’s poor outing and were all praises for Shedge on the internet, as PBKS continue their pursuit of a top-2 finish.
Fans laud Suryansh Shedge’s maiden IPL fifty
Suryansh Shedge, who made a name for himself in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy 2024/25, scoring 36 off 12 against Vidarbha when his team needed 60 off 4 overs, was picked by PBKS in the auction for INR 30L and got retained in 2026.
Due to a stacked middle order, he only batted thrice in his debut season, scoring only 7 runs. However, with Shashank Singh out injured, an opportunity popped up for him, and he made the most out of it. Having lost the previous match, PBKS once again started with 36/4 in 6.3 overs when he walked in to bat.
He soon lost captain Shreyas Iyer from the other end after an 11(13) stand before getting along with Marcus Stoinis for a match-saving 79 run partnership in 44 balls. In the process, he scored 26 in 5 balls off Manav Suthar’s left-arm orthodox with 6, 6, 4, 4, 6 after getting the strike.
As he went from 13*(13) to finishing at 57(29) with three fours and five sixes, PBKS fans called out Nehal Wadhera’s lacklustre form and praised Shedge’s brilliance as PBKS finished 163/9 (20).
Also Read: Shubman Gill Breaks Silence On His Marriage Intentions
PBKS aim for early playoff qualification
After finishing at a respectable total of 163/9, PBKS now stand a chance to potentially replicate Gujarat Titans’ bowling excellence on the wicket, and they will try to rip into the top-order early in the innings.
With a susceptible middle-order, if they get early wickets and put the middle-order under pressure, they could find themselves in a winning position. Having already won 6 out of the 8 matches, they are at 13 points, and a win could take them closer to a point within the reach of playoff qualification with 5 matches remaining.
If things go as per the plan, PBKS can seal a top-2 finish like last year to play Qualifier 1 and have a cushion to reach a potential final.
Nehal Wadhera’s form a worry for PBKS?
Nehal Wadhera, who joined PBKS last season, scored 369 runs at a strike rate of 145.84 with two crucial fifties to his name in their run to the final. He is the only left-hand batter in their middle-order, but the IPL 2026 returns have been underwhelming.
So far in the season, he has only scored 65 runs in 6 innings at a strike rate of 114.03. If Shashank Singh is fit for the upcoming matches, dropping Suryansh Hedge before Wadhera could get difficult for the Kings.
Also Read: From Hardik Pandya To Axar Patel: IPL Captaincy Turns Match-Winners Into Liabilities
