Kamal Ghorui
Abhishek Sharma found himself in the spotlight for the wrong reason despite Sunrisers Hyderabad producing a dominant performance against Kolkata Knight Riders at Eden Gardens. The all-rounder has been fined 25 per cent of his match fees and handed one demerit point for breaching the IPL Code of Conduct during Thursday’s clash. Abhishek admitted to the Level 1 offence under Article 2.3 and accepted the sanction imposed by the Match Referee. As per IPL rules, decisions on Level 1 breaches are final and binding. The disciplinary action came on a night when SRH were otherwise clinical across departments. Heinrich Klaasen anchored the innings with a composed 52 off 35 balls, guiding his side to a formidable 226/8 after being put in to bat. SRH’s innings was built on an explosive start from Travis Head and Abhishek, who stitched together an 82-run opening stand in just 34 balls. Abhishek himself looked in fine touch, smashing 48 off 21 deliveries and taking on the KKR spinners with intent. However, a middle-order wobble saw SRH briefly lose momentum before Klaasen and Nitish Kumar Reddy steadied things with a crucial 82-run partnership, ensuring the total remained well beyond KKR’s reach. In reply, KKR’s much-talked-about batting lineup failed to click. Ajinkya Rahane struggled again at the top, while Angkrish Raghuvanshi’s fluent 52 lacked support from the other end. A series of poor partnerships and costly run-outs derailed the chase as KKR were bowled out for 161 in just 16 overs. SRH’s bowling unit shared the spoils, with Jaydev Unadkat, Ehsan Malinga and Nitish Kumar Reddy making key breakthroughs. Despite Blessing Muzarabani picking up four wickets, KKR never recovered from their chaotic middle phase. While SRH celebrated a convincing 65-run victory to get back to winning ways, Abhishek’s fine adds a small blemish to an otherwise impressive outing for the young all-rounder.
