Ravichandran Ashwin lauded Abhishek Sharma after the Sunrisers Hyderabad opener dramatically tilted his head-to-head against Matthew Short in the Southern derby of IPL 2026 on Saturday. Abhishek struck with authority from the outset, racing to a 15-ball half-century that unsettled Chennai Super Kings right from the powerplay.
How the contest swung
- CSK captain Ruturaj Gaikwad handed the new ball to Matthew Short, backing his off-spin to trouble Abhishek and Travis Head early.
- Short made a bright start, conceding 13 runs across his first two overs and keeping the scoring under control.
- Gaikwad’s choice to continue with Short for a third over backfired as Abhishek began to find the gaps and accelerate.
- Abhishek stepped up in that phase, smashing three fours and two sixes, and he struck 24 runs off the last five deliveries he faced from Short.
- The surge disrupted CSK’s rhythm and shifted the matchup firmly in Abhishek’s favour.
Speaking on JioHotstar during the pre-match show, Ashwin explained why Abhishek’s assault stood out. He noted that while Abhishek eventually departed, the decisive over against Short showcased unusual shot-making—especially striking the ball well even when it was not in the typical position.
“Finally, he got out on the ball, which was on the stumps. But that over he took down Matt Short was special batting up enough because I haven’t seen a lot of players who can hit the ball standing from afar. These are like that one was in the slot, but this one was away from him, arched back and just took it down. These are special shots,” Ashwin said. “And for someone like Matt Short, who’s coming into his first game, bowling to someone like Abhishek Sharma is not easy. He’s a left-hander, a typical match-up for an off-spinner. He wouldn’t have expected that.”
Even after Abhishek powered SRH to their quickest half-century of the season off 15 balls, the innings briefly lost momentum. In the very next over, SRH suffered a mini-collapse, losing two wickets.
SRH’s late push after the collapse
- Left-arm pacer Mukesh Choudhary, finishing with figures of 2/21 from two overs, dismissed Travis Head for 23 off 20.
- Choudhary also removed Ishan Kishan for a duck, getting him out off the final two deliveries of the powerplay.
- Abhishek departed soon after, scoring 59, which forced Heinrich Klaasen to take over.
Klaasen then delivered when it mattered, contributing a crucial fifty to ensure Sunrisers Hyderabad posted a competitive total of 194/9 in their 20 overs.
