Abhishek Sharma turned Tuesday’s IPL contest in Hyderabad into a one-sided showcase of power-hitting, leaving Delhi Capitals with very little to hold onto. The Sunrisers Hyderabad opener struck 135 not out off 68 balls as his side cruised to a 47-run win over DC.
Quick facts
- Match result: Sunrisers Hyderabad won by 47 runs
- Venue: Hyderabad
- Sunrisers total: 242 for 2
- Abhishek Sharma: 135* (68 balls), with 10 sixes and as many boundaries
- Delhi Capitals finish: 195 for 9
- DC collapse: 107 for 4 after being 107 for 1
- Key Sunrisers bowlers: Eshan Malinga 4/32 (4), Sakib Hussain 1/29 (4)
- Points impact: SRH moved up to third place
On a calm Uppal surface, Sharma shredded the DC bowling attack and helped build a massive platform of 242 for 2. His innings featured 10 maximums and ten more boundaries, turning the chase into a near-impossibility from the start.
Even though a target of 243 was beyond most scenarios, DC briefly looked like they might fight their way back early. But the middle order was dismantled in quick time, with Sri Lankan Eshan Malinga striking for 4/32 in his four overs and Sakib Hussain adding 1/29 in four as Delhi slipped from 107 for 1 to 107 for 4.
From that point forward, DC never recovered. In the end, Axar Patel’s team could only manage 195 for 9, handing SRH a comprehensive victory and lifting them into third place in the points table.
Abhishek’s innings, in context
The defining feature of Sharma’s knock was his ability to read the bowlers and adjust his batting angle and swing accordingly. He especially punished Ngidi with late-and-front foot adjustments, and it looked as though he was determined to display his full range, with many of his sixes struck with clear control in front of the wicket.
It was also a slightly slower century compared to his usual standards, yet he still reached the mark with a strike rate above 200—completing his fifty-ball century in 47 balls. Once he got past the milestone, he kept going, taking SRH to a score that looked extremely difficult to chase given DC’s batting depth.
After a modest dip in momentum near the end—his strike rate dropping just below 200—Heinrich Klaasen launched the final charge with 37 not out off just 13 deliveries, ensuring the finishing touches were ruthless.
Early on, Travis Head was relatively quiet for a while, making 37 off 26 balls, but Sharma provided the acceleration. The pair added 97 for the opening stand, and when Ishan Kishan came in, he struck 25 off 13 balls as the second wicket partnership produced another 79 in only 5.5 overs—creating a springboard for the late surge.
One of the most memorable parts of the chase, or rather the lack of one, was how SRH’s bowlers and plans combined. While DC tried to vary their approach, SRH kept picking wickets at regular intervals, and the damage from Sharma’s innings proved too big to offset.
Where Delhi Capitals went wrong
The match will be remembered for a series of tactical missteps by DC, led by their “Brains Bank” group featuring Director of Cricket Venugopal Rao, head coach Hemang Badani, and skipper Axar Patel. Their bowling choices left them exposed to left-handers, and the numbers reflected it.
Nitish Rana, used as a part-time off-spinner, was handed his full quota despite the top three of SRH being southpaw-heavy. Rana’s figures read 0/55 from four overs, and the decision to persist with that plan became increasingly hard to justify as the innings developed.
DC’s frontline spin also failed to apply sustained pressure. Axar managed only 1/23 in two overs, while Kuldeep Yadav returned 0/30 in two, and both were pulled away before completing their full spells, apparently unable to withstand the assault from Sharma.
Even the pace department couldn’t find the right tempo. Mukesh Kumar finished wicketless with 0/53, Lungi Ngidi went for 0/44, and T Natarajan was struck for 0/40, as the SRH batters met the bowling variations with timing rather than fear.
SRH, meanwhile, had a clear rhythm. Their pace unit, led by Malinga and Hussain, mixed pace-on and pace-off deliveries to keep DC guessing and to take wickets regularly—though Rana’s half-century, while notable, was small compared to the scale of Sharma’s impact.
DC’s bowling strategy started with an off-spinner and then leaned on a mediocre part-timer rather than sticking to a more controlled match plan. Rana’s first over was tidy, but the second went for 20, and after a strategic time-out he was given two more overs—one of which cost 23.
Skipper Axar will also have to answer questions about why he, as a frontline spinner, did not finish his full allocation, and why Kuldeep wasn’t backed after one bad over that cost 22 runs. Instead, DC kept faith with Rana despite the clear mismatch in the contest.
Overall, the two-and-a-half spinners DC used—Rana included—conceded 108 runs across eight overs. The Powerplay brought 67 runs, but the larger issue was the middle overs between 7 and 15, when SRH added 116—an unacceptable stretch that effectively erased any chance of a DC comeback.
As for the broader picture, SRH’s victory also carried a morale boost beyond the scoreboard. Yuvraj Singh, Sharma’s mentor, posted praise on X after the win, writing, “Let the bat do the work! getting better each day well played sir Abhishek! keep up with the process,” along with tags referencing Abhishek Sharma, Sunrisers and the league.
With that, SRH consolidated their position and left DC to reflect on a day when one innings—plus a chain of bowling decisions—decided the outcome completely.
