Abhishek Sharma smashed a blistering 68-ball 135 not out to power Sunrisers Hyderabad to a commanding 242 for 2 and a 47-run victory over Delhi Capitals at the Uppal Stadium on April 21, moving SRH up to third place in the IPL points table. Sharma dominated the innings with ten sixes and ten fours as SRH posted a mammoth total that proved beyond Delhi’s reach.
The platform was laid by an aggressive opening stand: Sharma and Travis Head added 97, with Head contributing 37 off 26 balls. Ishan Kishan then hit 25 off 13 to help add a further 79 for the second wicket in just 5.5 overs, setting the stage for Sharma’s final assault. As Sharma’s strike-rate eased slightly late in the innings, Heinrich Klaasen provided a quickfire finish with 37 not out off 13 deliveries.
Delhi’s chase never recovered after a mid-innings collapse. Eshan Malinga took four wickets for 32 in his four overs and Sakib Hussain claimed one for 29, turning the contest as DC slipped from 107 for 1 to 107 for 4. Delhi finished 195 for 9 in their 20 overs. Nitish Rana made a valiant 57 with the bat but, as a part-timer, conceded 55 in his four overs and was hammered by several left-handed batters during SRH’s onslaught. Sameer Rizvi contributed 41 for Delhi.
Tactical decisions by the Capitals’ leadership — director of cricket Venugopal Rao, head coach Hemang Badani and captain Axar Patel — drew scrutiny after the match. Critics questioned the wisdom of opening the bowling with part-timer Nitish Rana and limiting frontline spinners Axar Patel (1/23 in two overs) and Kuldeep Yadav (0/30 in two overs) to just half their quotas while pacers Mukesh Kumar (0/53), Lungi Ngidi (0/44) and T Natarajan (0/40) struggled to contain the scoring. SRH’s pacers, led by Malinga and Hussain, used variations in pace effectively to pick up regular wickets.
Brief scores: Sunrisers Hyderabad 242 for 2 in 20 overs (Abhishek Sharma 135 not out, Heinrich Klaasen 37 not out, Travis Head 37; Axar Patel 1/23). Delhi Capitals 195 for 9 in 20 overs (Nitish Rana 57, Sameer Rizvi 41; Eshan Malinga 4/32). (PTI)
Original Source: https://theshillongtimes.com/2026/04/22/abhishek-smashes-ton-as-srh-crush-dc-by-47-runs/
Category: SPORTS
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Publish Date: 2026-04-22 06:42:00
