Hyderabad, April 21 (IANS) Sunrisers Hyderabad opener Abhishek Sharma credited clarity of role and support from teammates for his match-defining hundred, saying performing in front of the ‘Orange Army’ made the effort even more special.

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

The left-handed southpaw struck 135 off 68 including ten sixes and as many boundaries. Abhishek underlined the significance of delivering at home, while also acknowledging the opposition’s execution at the death. “I mean of course it’s always special to perform in front of the orange army. The way they bowled in the death overs, I thought they were executing their plans. I think I haven’t practiced death batting much. But the way (Heinrich) Klaasen played, it helped us get to that total.”

The left-hander revealed that Klaasen played a key role in helping him stay composed when he began forcing the pace. “He just wanted me to maintain the shape. I was trying too hard to find the boundary. That was because I don’t play much in the death overs. I just wanted to give him the strike because we know how dangerous he can be in the death overs.”

Abhishek shared that batting through all 20 overs was part of a pre-match plan with coach Daniel Vettori (Franky). “It’s just I had a plan with Franky and he just wanted me to bat till the 20 overs. I think this is the first time that I have batted for 20 overs. The wicket wasn’t too easy. But if you play good cricket, they have the talent in that team. You have to play well to defend it.”

“We are still trying to figure it out (laughs). I think above 220-230 is a good total. One of the top three batters will have to bat through and that’s our plan every game.”

–IANS

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