Abhishek Sharma returned to his best form in the Indian Premier League on Tuesday, April 21, hitting a brilliant set against Delhi Capitals, his second in the competition. It was no fluke effort as the batter reached his milestone in 47 balls, seven balls quicker than his maiden century.
In fact, Sharma, known for his ridiculously aggressive starts, didn’t hit a single six in the first four overs. Abhishek Sharma started his innings patiently, replacing Mukesh Kumar and Nitish Rana in the first few overs. Both Abhishek and Travis Head made sure they put a price on their wickets.
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It was only in the fifth over that Abhishek loosened up and fully repaid Delhi Capitals for Nitish Rana bowling the second over. In fact, Abhishek reached his fifty in 25 balls, his slowest T20 fifty at his home stadium in Hyderabad.
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The left-hander didn’t really let up even after the setup, instead opting to pick up at least one boundary from every bowler. The left-hander got one lifeline in his innings when Nitish Rana dropped him from deep point in the 14th over of the match. Looking to increase the team’s run rate, Abhishek cut hard with a wide full toss but was unable to place the ball. Nitish Rana, protecting the region, moved to the left and set himself up for a low catch. However, the Delhi all-rounder was unable to keep hold of the ball.
Rana paid the price in the very next over when he was brought back to bowl for the fourth time this innings. Abhishek hit Rana for three sixes and a four in the 15th over, racing to a hundred in 47 balls and helping SRH to 183 runs in the 15th over.
It was a very different approach from what fans are used to seeing from Abhishek, where he drives down the track and tries to be aggressive against every player he faces. But on Tuesday, Abhishek mixed up his style and was happy to sit against the likes of Lungi Ngidi, who has a sensational slower ball up his sleeve.
After completing his century, Abhishek did not give his ‘L’ celebration. Instead, he folded his arms and looked into the locker room, almost telling them, I told you so. I told you that I can remain patient if I am wanted.
This approach really worked for SRH as well, who constantly needed Heinrich Klaasen and Ishan Kishan to bail them out in the middle overs. But on Tuesday, Abhishek took it upon himself to help Klaasen enter the innings at the stage when he is required, in the 15th over at number five, where he often had to be restricted from playing his natural game.
Abhishek’s innings helped Klaasen get into a rhythm early and really dominate the death overs. Klaasen found an answer to Lungi Ngidi’s brutal slower balls and hit him for back-to-back sixes in the 18th over.
Klaasen added the icing on the cake with a beautiful 37 not out from 13 balls to take SRH to their highest total so far in IPL 2026. SRH finished with 242 for the loss of just two wickets. Abhishek Sharma remained unbeaten on 135 off 68 balls, at a strike-rate of 198.53, a sub-200 number not usually associated with his best outings in the format.
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Issued by:
Kingshuk Kusari
Published on:
21 Apr 2026 21:08 IST
