Abhishek Sharma fined after becoming first Indian to hit 100 sixes for SRH
The 25-year-old opener blazed 48 off just 21 balls before a controversial low catch by Varun Chakravarthy cut his innings short in the ninth over. Abhishek showed visible displeasure at the TV umpire's decision to uphold the dismissal, and the use of obscene language during his reaction earned him a Level 1 sanction under Article 2.3 of the IPL Code of Conduct. He accepted the charge without contest.
A six-hitting record years in the making
Before Thursday night, only David Warner had cleared the boundary 100 times in an SRH shirt. Warner's 143 maximums across 95 matches for the franchise stood alone until Abhishek, who debuted for Delhi Daredevils back in 2018 before joining SRH, powered his way past the landmark in fewer innings. His overall IPL tally now stands at 106 sixes in 79 matches.
The numbers from the last three seasons tell the story of a batter who has transformed himself. In 2024, he smashed 42 sixes across 16 matches at a strike rate of 200. A season later, he hit an unbeaten 141 off 55 balls, the highest individual score by any Indian batter in IPL history. This year, he has picked up where he left off.
SRH blow KKR away at Eden Gardens
The headline numbers tell you how one-sided this contest was. SRH posted 226 for 8 in their 20 overs, powered by an explosive opening stand between Abhishek and Travis Head, who cracked 46 off 21 balls. Heinrich Klaasen anchored the middle overs with a composed 52 off 35, and Nitish Kumar Reddy chipped in with a rapid 39 off 24.
KKR never got close. Jaydev Unadkat ripped through the top order with 3 for 21 from his three overs, while Reddy picked up two wickets of his own. Angkrish Raghuvanshi fought hard with 52 off 29, but wickets kept falling around him and the chase was done at 161 all out in 16 overs. Reddy took the Player of the Match award for his all-round display.
KKR's early-season problems are piling up
This was KKR's second straight defeat to start IPL 2026. Captain Ajinkya Rahane tried to stay positive afterwards, telling reporters it was "not the end of the world," but injuries to key fast bowlers have left the bowling attack looking thin. Harshit Rana is out for the season with a knee injury, Akash Deep is also sidelined, and the burden on Blessing Muzarabani, who took 4 for 41 against SRH, is growing by the match.
For SRH, the fine is a footnote. They head into their next fixture with momentum and a top-order firing on all cylinders. Whether Abhishek can channel his frustration into runs rather than arguments with umpires will be worth watching.
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