Abhishek Sharma Joins Virat Kohli With Record 9th T20 Century in IPL 2026

The explosive left-hander delivered an outstanding innings, marking his second IPL hundred in style while maintaining his impressive consistency at the top of the order. With this achievement, Abhishek reinforced his rising status in the shortest format and equalled Kohli's record of nine T20 hundreds, the highest by an Indian. Among international players, only Chris Gayle (22), Babar Azam (12), and David Warner (10) have more, while Quinton de Kock, Rilee Rossouw, and Sahibzada Farhan are also tied with him at nine.

This innings was also important for his IPL career with Sunrisers Hyderabad. During his knock, Abhishek crossed the 2,000-run milestone for the franchise, becoming just the fourth batter overall and the second Indian to reach this mark. He now joins an exclusive group that includes Warner (4,014 runs), Shikhar Dhawan (2,518), and Kane Williamson (2,101).

To further emphasise his dominance, Abhishek confirmed his status as one of SRH's most powerful hitters. Along with Warner, he is one of only two batters who have hit more than 100 sixes for the franchise, showcasing his role as a modern T20 aggressor.

At the toss, Sunrisers Hyderabad captain Ishan Kishan said the track was different from the one on which they played in the previous two matches.

"It all depends on how the wicket plays, and we play. We think the track might slow down a bit, and we need that wicket-taking option with the spin as well. They have been doing a very good job. It is all about execution. We will take one game at a time," Ishan Kishan said at the toss.

But going by the way Abhishek scored his runs, it appears there were no issues in the pitch, at least for him.

- IANS