Abhishek Sharma has been the destructive force for Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) in recent years. The star batter will be hoping to provide them with blistering starts in IPL 2026 as well. However, his recent form has not been great, and could be a matter of concern for the franchise among other things.
The SRH IPL 2026 squad looks pretty strong on paper but have some problems to deal with, including the availability of their captain Pat Cummins. Abhishek smashed 52 off 21 deliveries in the recent T20 World Cup 2026 final. But he had a poor tournament overall, scoring 141 runs at 17.62 average and 158.42 strike rate. A glaring weakness in Abhishek’s game could be another major concern for them heading into the season.
The star India batter was able to make a big impact in the final to help his side win the title. However, there have been issues in his game that teams have started to exploit.
His issues against outside off deliveries moving away from his hitting arc have been well documented over the last month. He has also struggled against off-spin but it is not a huge worry as he is one of the best hitters of all types of spin bowling.
There is another pattern from the last two years in the league that could be an issue for Abhishek and SRH. Some of the best T20 batters in the game like Chris Gayle, Jos Buttler, and Kieron Pollard based their game on targeting weaker links in the opposition’s bowling attack and preserving their wicket against the big threats.
Abhishek’s game is not built like that. He’s a naturally aggressive batter and takes on everyone. That means he’s often vulnerable while facing the best bowlers in the competition.
If we look at the last two seasons, the numbers show that he has obliterated the weaker bowlers. But the above graph highlights how fallible he can be against the top quality bowlers, especially fast bowlers. Abhishek has faced 75 deliveries against the six pacers in the above graph, and managed to score only 73 runs while getting dismissed six times.
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There is enough sample size to believe that Abhishek Sharma does have a chink in armour. When trying to take on the quality bowlers, he struggles to score at his usual rate and loses his wicket more frequently. This could prove to be a headache for Sunrisers Hyderabad in IPL 2026.
As we have already seen, teams around the world are starting to work him out. In a tournament like IPL, you can expect the other franchises to target Abhishek with their best bowlers, and early in the innings.
Abhishek had an underwhelming season last year as well, barring one century which masked his overall numbers. If he wants to deliver a better season, he will need to find a way to preserve his wicket versus the biggest threat in the opposition. That means he would have to curb his natural attacking instincts and play out those threats. The Sunrisers campaign could hinge on this.
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