Chandigarh: Punjab Kings will take on Sunrisers Hyderabad at the New Chandigarh stadium on April 11, in what will be their second home fixture of the season. Middle-order batter Shashank Singh has expressed confidence of stronger team performance.Despite a comfortable match in their previous outing against Gujarat Titans, Punjab struggled with falling wickets, allowing the match to drift and increasing pressure on both sides. Reflecting on that performance, Shashank admitted that poor shot selection cost the team momentum.“In that first game, our shot selection wasn’t the best — including my own dismissal. We’ve learned from those errors. As middle-order players, we are better prepared now, and you’ll see improved performance from us,” he said.Punjab will face a formidable batting line-up led by Sunrisers Hyderabad, but Shashank emphasised that the team is focusing inward rather than getting caught up in opposition statistics.“We aren’t focusing too much on the stats; our goal is to perform well and impress each other within the team. We want to dominate not just tomorrow but in the matches to come. Hyderabad has a good lineup, but we believe in our bowling unit,” he added.One of the key match-ups will be against Amritsar’s Abhishek Sharma, who has been a consistent performer for Hyderabad. Shashank revealed that the team has specific strategies in place for him and other batters.Meanwhile, Sunrisers Hyderabad head coach Daniel Vettori acknowledged the challenge posed by both the venue and the opposition.“I think this venue is relatively new, so it’s going to be a challenge for both teams to assess conditions and see how the wicket plays. But it’s a beautiful venue, and we’re excited to be here,” Vettori said.He also praised Punjab’s recent form, calling them one of the more competitive sides in the league.“Punjab have been playing very well for an extended period and are one of the challenging teams in the IPL. Every team is a challenge because they’ve got so many good players. We expect Punjab to be at their absolute best. They’ve got players in form and some who can be really destructive with bat and ball, so it’s going to be a big game,” he added.
