Kamal Ghorui
Sunrisers Hyderabad batter Abhishek Sharma etched his name in the franchise’s record books, becoming only the second player after David Warner to complete 100 sixes for SRH in the Indian Premier League.The left-hander reached the milestone during SRH’s clash against Kolkata Knight Riders, smashing a quickfire 48 off 21 balls, including four boundaries and four sixes at a strike rate of over 228. Abhishek now has 101 sixes for the franchise, second only to Warner’s tally of 143. In 76 matches for SRH, he has scored 1,808 runs at an average of 26.58 and a strike rate of 162.88, including one century and nine fifties.SRH post big total, bowlers seal commanding winSunrisers Hyderabad delivered a dominant all-round performance to defeat Kolkata Knight Riders by 65 runs at Eden Gardens, registering their first win of IPL 2026.After posting a formidable 226/8, the highest total of the season so far, SRH’s bowlers backed it up with a clinical effort. Jaydev Unadkat led the charge with impressive figures of 3/21, while Eshan Malinga, Nitish Kumar Reddy, and Harsh Dubey applied consistent pressure as KKR were bowled out for 161 in just 16 overs.The win was significant as it marked the first successful defence of a total in this year’s tournament.KKR start strong but collapse under pressureChasing 227, KKR got off to a flying start with Finn Allen smashing 28 off just seven balls, including a 25-run opening over. However, SRH struck back quickly, with Dubey removing Allen via a sharp caught-and-bowled effort.Ajinkya Rahane and Angkrish Raghuvanshi then stitched a 37-run stand to steady the innings, with Raghuvanshi continuing his fine form. But SRH regained control as Unadkat dismissed Rahane with a slower ball, while a mix-up led to Cameron Green’s run-out at the end of the powerplay, leaving KKR at 74/3.Raghuvanshi went on to score his second consecutive fifty, reaching the milestone in 27 balls, before being run out for 52. Nitish Kumar Reddy then struck twice in quick succession, removing Anukul Roy and Rinku Singh to dent KKR’s chase further.Sunil Narine provided a brief counterattack, but Malinga dismissed him and Ramandeep Singh in successive overs. Unadkat returned to wrap up the innings by removing Kartik Tyagi and Varun Chakaravarthy, sealing a comprehensive win for SRH.
