Sunrisers Hyderabad opener Abhishek Sharma has found it hard to get going again, recording yet another duck and adding his name to a notable list of Indian batters with the most T20 dismissals of that kind in a calendar year. In the IPL 2026 encounter versus Lucknow Super Giants, Abhishek was sent back for a two-ball duck by Mohammed Shami.
That wicket marked Abhishek’s sixth duck in T20 cricket during 2026, a tally that placed him alongside Rohit Sharma (six ducks in 2018) and Sanju Samson (six ducks in 2024) for the joint-highest number of ducks by an Indian batter in a calendar year in the format.
Abhishek’s slow opening stretch in IPL 2026 has been reflected in the numbers as well. He has amassed 55 runs across three innings so far, and 48 of those runs came in his most recent outing against Kolkata Knight Riders.
The top-ranked T20 batter also struggled for consistency at the T20 World Cup. He managed 141 runs from eight innings at an average of 17.62, striking at more than 158, with two half-centuries to his name—one of them arriving in the final. He also began the tournament with three consecutive ducks.
Looking at the broader picture for the year, Abhishek has scored 378 runs in 16 T20 innings, averaging 25.20 while maintaining a strike rate above 195. His tally includes four fifties, and his best score so far is 84.
In the match that was underway, Lucknow Super Giants won the toss and elected to field first at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium.
LSG also made a personnel switch ahead of the start, bringing in Manimaran Siddharth in place of Anrich Nortje.
Sunrisers Hyderabad, captained by stand-in leader Ishan Kishan, responded with two changes. They included Harshal Patel and Liam Livingstone in their XI.
Sunrisers Hyderabad had endured a tough start to the campaign, losing their opening match to Royal Challengers Bengaluru. They later bounced back by defeating Kolkata Knight Riders by 65 runs.
Lucknow Super Giants, meanwhile, are chasing their first victory of the season after going down in their previous fixture against Delhi Capitals.
