Abhishek Sharma of Hyderabad Sunrisers celebrates his century (Photo by ANI) Abhishek Sharma produced one of the most dominant knocks of IPL 2026 as he smashed an unbeaten 135 off 68 balls to power Sunrisers Hyderabad to an impressive 47-run win over Delhi Capitals. On a calm Uppal surface, Abhishek dismantled a listless DC attack, hitting 10 sixes and as many boundaries as SRH piled up a massive 242 for 2. He set the tone early alongside Travis Head, adding 97 for the opening wicket despite the latter not being at his best. Captain Ishan Kishan then stepped up with a blistering 25 off 13 to stitch a 79-run stand in just 5.5 overs. Towards the end, Heinrich Klaasen provided the finishing flourish with a quickfire 37* off 13 balls. Reflecting on his innings, Abhishek said the team had a clear plan to attack the power play but had to quickly reassess the conditions. “As we started, I felt we had a plan … but the wicket was a bit slow so we had to re-plan. I just wanted to use the power play and entertain the crowd,” he said, adding that it was not easy to judge par scores until the innings progressed. The left-hander also appreciated the environment in SRH’s setup that allowed him to play freely. “You have to have support from the captain and the coach… that’s very important. The environment at Sunrisers in 2024 was a game-changer. It was like they wanted to bring up the youngsters,” he explained, pointing out that such freedom helped him express himself consistently. However, Delhi’s tactics have raised a lot of questions. The decision to persevere with Nitish Rane, who was part-time off the corkscrew, backfired as he conceded 55 runs in his four overs with the left-handers targeting him repeatedly. Even more puzzling was the underutilization of leading spinners Kuldeep Yadav and Axar Patel, who bowled just two overs each despite the onslaught. The game definitely petered out in the middle stages where SRH hammered away 116 runs between overs 7 and 15. Despite a strong start in the powerplay, DC had no answer once Abhishek switched gears. In reply, Delhi looked comfortable at 107 for 1 before a dramatic collapse. Eshan Malinga (4/32) and Sakib Hussain (1/29) used smart variations to clear the middle order and reduced DC to 107 for 4. They never recovered from this frame and ended up at 195 for 9. For Abhishek, the knock also had an emotional meaning. “My parents are here… it’s a very special moment. My sister is missing today because she had some kind of infection. So this is for you too,” he said, explaining his celebration as a gesture of love for the fans who have supported the team all along. He also revealed how his father continues to influence his game even now. “From the U12 days, my dad sits by the screen…even when I’m at the non-striker’s end, he keeps giving me instructions. It actually helps me,” Abhishek added with a smile. With this emphatic win, SRH climbed to the third spot in the points table and Abhishek’s breathtaking innings not only highlighted the result but also underlined his growing status as one of the most devastating batsmen in the tournament.
