Abhishek Sharma slams record 135 in breathtaking knock
It’s evening in Hyderabad, Rajiv Gandhi Stadium, and local hero Abhishek turns the game into a one-sided affair. Sunrisers Hyderabad played Delhi Capitals in the 2026 Indian Premier League (IPL). And then something happened that still makes the Delhi defense shudder. Abhishek Sharma slams record 135 in breathtaking knock, off just 68 balls. He remained unbeaten and decided not to give up until the final siren.
Abhishek Sharma slams record 135 in breathtaking knock: how it happened
Ten powerful sixes—the ball went out of bounds so often that the catchers in the stands had to stretch their necks. And nine more fours. In total, Abhishek knocked out nearly 100 runs on boundaries alone that evening. The rest he made up by running between the wickets.
The first six overs, the so-called Powerplay, turned into a nightmare for the Delhi bowlers. The team scored 67 runs, the lion’s share of which was due to Sharma. He scored his fifty with 25 balls. And then, as if he decided that he had warmed up, he went on tearing. The hundred arrived in 47 balls. That is, he scored the second 50 points faster than the first. So does Abhishek Sharma slams record 135 in breathtaking knock.
Sunrisers posted 242 runs with just two wickets lost. A solid bid for victory, nothing to say. Abhishek wasn’t the only one trying – he was joined by Heinrich Klaasen. He hit 37 runs in just 13 balls, with three sixes and four fours.
Abhishek Sharma slams record 135 in breathtaking knock: comparisons
Now about why this inning will go down in history not only as a beautiful spectacle. Abhishek Sharma slammed a record 135 in a breathtaking knock and broke a whole bunch of records. Let’s start with the fact that this is his second century in the IPL. The first was last season, when he scored 141, which remains Hyderabad’s highest individual score. And this 135 is the second largest in the club.
Special attention to sixes. This is the second time Sharma has hit 10 or more maximums in a single IPL inning. Before him, only Chris Gayle had achieved this feat—and he did it four times. Abhishek is now the second and last (for now) member of this exclusive club. Looking at the entire T20 picture, he’s ahead of all Indians: he has five innings with 10+ sixes. Shreyas Iyer is behind with four. But Gayle, of course, is still ahead— the Jamaican has as many as 18 of them.
And another record associated with Gayle. Abhishek Sharma has surpassed the legend in the number of innings with scores of 130 or more. He now has four. Gayle and former Australia captain Aaron Finch each have three. The comparison is, frankly, flattering for the young Indian.
Abhishek now has nine centuries in T20 cricket. This puts him on par with Virat Kohli among Indian batsmen. Gayle leads the world list with 22, followed by Babar Azam (12) and David Warner (10). And then there’s a tight group that now includes Sharma, alongside Quinton de Kock, Riley Rossouw and others.
By the way, for SRH this ining became another milestone. Abhishek reached the 2000 runs mark for the club in the IPL. Before him, only David Warner, Shikhar Dhawan and Kane Williamson had received this honor.
