Abhishek Sharma made an immediate impact at the top for Sunrisers Hyderabad in their IPL 2026 clash against Punjab Kings at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium, producing a quickfire cameo that set the tone for a high-scoring outing. The left-hander scored 35 off just 13 balls, striking two fours and four sixes during his brief stay. He got going straight away, launching Arshdeep Singh for a maximum off the second ball of the innings. He followed it up by taking on Marco Jansen in the next over, clearing the ropes twice more, before adding another six off Lockie Ferguson. His aggressive approach, however, came to an end when he attempted another aerial stroke and was caught by Shreyas Iyer. Despite the short stay, Abhishek reached a significant milestone, becoming only the sixth batter in the world to complete 300 T20 sixes in India. The benchmark in this category continues to be set by Rohit Sharma, who leads the list by a clear margin.
Most T20 sixes in India:
| Player | Matches | Runs | Sixes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rohit Sharma | 320 | 8647 | 388 |
| Chris Gayle | 136 | 4841 | 357 |
| Virat Kohli | 293 | 10,083 | 348 |
| Sanju Samson | 275 | 7363 | 337 |
| Suryakumar Yadav | 278 | 7142 | 317 |
| Abhishek Sharma | 153* | 4722* | 302* |
SRH’s innings gathered further momentum through Heinrich Klaasen and Ishan Kishan, who made the most of multiple lapses in the field to push the total to 235 for four. Klaasen, dropped early on nine, went on to score 69 off 43 balls, hitting three fours and four sixes. Kishan also enjoyed a slice of luck, surviving both a dropped catch and a missed stumping before compiling a brisk 55 off 32 balls, including two boundaries and four sixes. The duo ensured SRH maintained control through the middle overs and beyond. For Punjab, Yuzvendra Chahal was the standout bowler with figures of 1/32, but his effort was overshadowed by poor support in the field. Multiple dropped chances and a missed stumping, all coming off his bowling, left him visibly frustrated as SRH capitalised to post a formidable total.
