Cricket-Punjab slip from top spot after loss to Hyderabad

By Amlan Chakraborty

NEW DELHI, May 7 (Reuters) - Punjab Kings had hoped to tighten their grip on top spot in the Indian Premier League (IPL) on Wednesday but a succession of dropped catches saw them fall to a third straight defeat and allowed Sunrisers Hyderabad to climb above them.

Hyderabad batter Ishan Kishan (55) was dropped twice, while Heinrich Klaasen capitalised on an early reprieve to smash 69 and power the hosts to 235-4 in their 20 overs.

Punjab managed only 202 in reply, though captain Shreyas Iyer said they should have been shooting for a much lower target.

"We dropped many catches at the start, we could have easily reduced their score by 30-40 runs," he added.

"Unfortunately, we were not able to take catches, I think that was the biggest setback for us in today's game - definitely something to reflect on and come back stronger."

Leg-spinner Yuzvendra Chahal created two chances only to see both spilled, bringing to eight the number of catches that have been grassed off his bowling this season.

Teammate Shashank Singh has dropped five catches in his last three matches.

Spin-bowling coach Sairaj Bahutule said players like Kishan and Klaasen punish teams if given a second chance.

"It was very important to take those catches because they are such players that if you tend to drop catches, they will score and score quickly," he told a press conference.

"I definitely think catching could have changed the momentum of the game. There would have been fresh batters on the pitch and we could have executed our plans more effectively and then ended up maybe giving more than 50 runs less." (Reporting by Amlan Chakraborty in New Delhi; editing by Peter Rutherford)