Abhishek Sharma was SRH's second-highest run scorer last season.
Abhishek Sharma has started off the IPL 2026 preparations in his usual, blazing manner, following a rollercoaster outing in the recently concluded ICC Men’s T20 World Cup.
The southpaw was in lethal form throughout the past year until the home T20 World Cup. After a record-breaking Asia Cup campaign, the fans were also expecting a similar show from him in the mega ICC event. But unfortunately, Abhishek registered his name in an unwanted record, scoring successive ducks in three matches of the tournament.
However, the management continued to back the swashbuckling opener amidst calls for dropping him from India’s playing XI. The 25-year-old also repaid the faith shown in him. He stepped up on the biggest night, scoring a fierce 21-ball 52 in the final. Eventually, the contribution proved to be crucial as the Men in Blue successfully defended their T20I title on home soil.
In the first intra-squad encounter in the Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) camp, the batter looked to carry on the fiery momentum. His whirlwind 94-run knock off just 42 deliveries provided a smashing start to SRH A. It was followed by two more notable contributions from the big hitter Heinrich Klassen (49 off 31) and youngster Salil Arora (47 off 16) to put up a massive 253/9 on the scoreboard after 21 overs.
On the other hand, Jaydev Unadkat was among the peak of the bowlers, snaring a five-wicket haul for 48 runs in five overs. Nitish Kumar Reddy also bowled an impressive spell to return with the figure of 3/32.
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The left-hander was the second-highest scorer for the franchise in the previous edition, notching up 439 runs in 14 fixtures. His heroics were laced with two half-centuries and a stunning hundred against the Punjab Kings (PBKS). On his way to amass 141 runs off only 55 deliveries, the batter had also smacked the fifth-fastest century in the tournament’s history, reaching the milestone off just 40 balls.
With a pulsating knock in the season’s first intra-squad game, Abhishek has set the tone for the upcoming IPL 2026. The 2016 winners, SRH, will kickstart the tournament against the reigning champions, Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB), on March 28.
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