Former South African captain Faf du Plessis had given a big statement about Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) opener Abhishek Sharma during IPL 2026. After his impressive performance against Delhi Capitals (DC), Du Plessis compared the aggressive left-handed batsman to West Indies legend Chris Gayle, especially on flat pitches.
Sunrisers Hyderabad defeated Delhi Capitals by 47 runs in Match 31 of IPL 2026 at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium in Hyderabad on Tuesday, April 21. After losing the toss, the Ishan Kishan-led team scored a total of 242 runs in 20 overs. After this they restricted Delhi Capitals to 195 runs and achieved their fourth win.
Faf du Plessis compared Abhishek Sharma to Chris Gayle
Recently during the ESPNcricinfo timeout discussion, Faf du Plessis said that Abhishek Sharma dominates the opposition bowlers and becomes very dangerous when the pitch does not provide any help to the bowlers.
“Unbelievable batting. The power is back. Also, you look at the second over of off spin and I thought, ‘The pitch looked amazing. It just skidded, no swing, no grip.’
“So, on nights like this you think Abhishek Sharma is special because he has nothing. If there is a good pitch he is just a rookie. And that is what that opening pair has done in the last 2-3 seasons. On a flat track, he is almost like Chris Gayle. He is very dangerous when batting.”
Abhishek dominated the bowling attack of Delhi Capitals and remained unbeaten on 135 runs in 68 balls. The explosive opening batsman of Sunrisers Hyderabad hit 10 fours and 10 sixes. He also made an important opening partnership of 97 runs with Travis Head, which came from just 53 balls.
Abhishek Sharma is not Chris Gayle build – Aaron Finch
Former Australian captain Aaron Finch also praised Abhishek Sharma’s brilliant century. Finch said that Sharma has the ability to manipulate field placement and generate immense power in his shots, unlike traditional power hitters.
“No matter how you set up fielding on the off side, his ability to cut the ball is amazing. He has such beautiful hands and his bat has an almost abbreviated swing, which allows him to manipulate the ball wherever he needs to. That power is ridiculous for a guy who is not brutal. He is not like Chris Gayle. He is great to watch.”
Abhishek has shown great consistency for Sunrisers Hyderabad in IPL 2026. He has scored 323 runs in seven innings at an average of 53.83 and strike rate of 215.33, which includes two half-centuries and one century.
Sunrisers Hyderabad achieved third consecutive win
Abhishek Sharma’s explosive century put Sunrisers Hyderabad in a strong position. The home team still scored a huge score of 242 runs against Delhi Capitals. Akshar Patel took one wicket for 23 runs.
Delhi Capitals made a strong effort to chase the target. Nitish Rana scored 57 runs in 30 balls, while Sameer Rizvi added 41 runs in 28 balls. However, Sunrisers Hyderabad fast bowler Ishan Malinga turned the tide of the match by taking four wickets.
After the 47-run win, Sunrisers Hyderabad moved to third place in the IPL points table with four wins from seven matches. Delhi Capitals are in fifth place, having won three of their six matches so far.
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