Hyderabad, April 18 (IANS) Indian batter Abhishek Sharma made history with a stunning 15-ball half-century, the fastest ever for Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH), during their Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 match against Chennai Super Kings (CSK) at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium on Saturday.
The attacking left-hander broke the previous franchise record of 16 balls, which he had set against the Mumbai Indians (MI) in 2024. The same record had also been matched by his opening partner, Travis Head, twice that season against Delhi Capitals (DC) and Lucknow Super Giants (LSG).
Batting first after losing the toss, Abhishek started carefully but soon picked up pace and attacked the bowlers with confidence. The turning point of his innings came in the fifth over, bowled by Matthew Short, where he completely took control and smashed 25 runs, including three fours and two back-to-back sixes, as he reached his record-breaking fifty in style.
Abhishek’s brilliant innings finally ended in the eighth over when Jamie Overton bowled a hard-length delivery. Abhishek tried to guide it towards the third man but edged it behind, where Sanju Samson completed a sharp catch. Samson was confident and convinced the captain to review, which confirmed the dismissal.
Abhishek returned to the pavilion after scoring a superb 59 off just 22 balls, hitting six fours and four sixes, giving his team a strong start.
He has been in excellent form in IPL 2026 for Hyderabad, playing an important role as an aggressive opener. Recently, he became only the second SRH player to hit more than 100 sixes for the franchise. His performances this season also include a quick 48 off 21 balls against Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) and a fiery 74 off 28 balls versus Punjab Kings (PBKS). The number one T20I batter has scored 125 runs in five matches in the ongoing season, which includes two half-centuries.
–IANS
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