Hyderabad, April 21 (IANS) Sunrisers Hyderabad rode on a sensational, controlled assault from Abhishek Sharma, whose blistering yet calculated century powered the hosts to a commanding 242/2 in 20 overs against Delhi Capitals in Match 31 of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 at the Rajiv Gandhi International Cricket Stadium in Hyderabad on Tuesday.

What stood out in Abhishek’s knock was not just the pace but the composure. Bringing up his fifty in 25 balls and his ninth T20 hundred in just 47 deliveries, he played within himself early before unleashing a brutal acceleration. By the 15-over mark, he had surged past Heinrich Klaasen to become the highest run-getter of the season, underlining his dominance at the top.

Delhi Capitals briefly flirted with the idea of control early on by introducing Nitish Rana’s offspin inside the Power-play, targeting SRH’s left-hand heavy top order. Rana’s mix of arm balls and short offbreaks fetched just six runs in his initial over as SRH moved to 15 for 0 after two overs.

However, the move quickly backfired once the batters settled in. By the time Rana was reintroduced after four overs with SRH already 36 for 0, the momentum had shifted decisively. The fifth over went for three sixes, pushing the score to 56 without loss.

Abhishek, in particular, took charge, muscling a full toss from Lungi Ngidi over mid-off and racing to 21 off 12 as SRH reached 36 for 0 in four overs. Alongside Travis Head, he stitched together another fluent powerplay stand, the duo guiding SRH to 67 without loss. The final ball of the powerplay also marked SRH’s 70th six of the season, overtaking RCB’s tally of 69.

Head contributed a brisk 37 off 26 balls before falling against Axar Patel at 97 for 1 in 8.5 overs, miscuing a long hop to deep midwicket after striking two sixes in the over. But any hopes of a slowdown were quickly dashed.

Kuldeep Yadav was taken apart in the middle overs, conceding a flurry of boundaries as Abhishek and Ishan Kishan attacked relentlessly. Kishan’s sweeps and Abhishek’s clean hitting powered SRH to 126 for 1 in 11 overs.

Even with conditions seemingly ideal for reverse swing — a dry pitch and rough outfield — DC’s seamers failed to find any movement. Neither Mukesh Kumar nor T Natarajas could generate reverse, allowing SRH to cruise to 242/2 in 20 overs.

Brief scores:

Sunrisers Hyderabad 242/2 in 20 overs (Abhishel Sharma 135, Travis Head 37; Axar Patel 1-23) against Delhi Capitals.

–IANS

hs/bsk/