Abhishek Sharma (Source: AFP)
The IPL2026 clash between Sunrisers Hyderabad and Lucknow Super Giants got off to a dramatic start at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium on Sunday, April 5.
After winning the toss, LSG skipper Rishabh Pant chose to bowl first, aiming for a strong comeback after losing their opening match of the season. SRH, led by Ishan Kishan in the absence of the injured Pat Cummins, will be eager to continue their winning momentum in front of their home crowd.
Both teams made several changes to the playing XI for SRH vs LSG. SRH brought in Liam Livingstone and Harshal Patel, while LSG included Manimaran Siddharth in place of Anrich Nortje.
Mohammed Shami’s brilliance removes Abhishek Sharma early
The match began with high expectations from SRH's explosive opening pair of Travis Head and Abhishek Sharma. However, Mohammed Shami had other plans.
Also Read: IPL 2026: SRH vs LSG Prediction, Match 10- Who Will Win Today?
On just the sixth ball of the first over, Mohammed Shami struck a crucial blow. Bowling a clever slower delivery outside off stump, he deceived Abhishek completely. Attempting an aggressive shot, Abhishek edged the ball, which was safely caught by M Siddharth at short third after a sharp forward dive.
Most Wickets by a Bowler in 1st Over in IPL:
- 32 – Trent Boult
- 27 – Bhuvneshwar Kumar
- 16 – Deepak Chahar*
- 15 – Praveen Kumar
- 13 – Sandeep Sharma
- 12 – Zaheer Khan, Mohammed Shami
Abhishek Sharma creates unwanted record
With this dismissal, Abhishek Sharma found himself on an unwanted list. He equalled the record for most T20 ducks by an Indian player in a calendar year, joining Rohit Sharma (2018) and Sanju Samson (2024), all with six ducks.
Additionally, Abhishek now has four ducks in the IPL for SRH, moving closer to the franchise's unwanted record list led by Rashid Khan.
Most T20 Ducks by an Indian in a Calendar Year:
- 6 - Rohit Sharma (2018)
- 6 - Sanju Samson (2024)
- 6 - Abhishek Sharma (2026*)
Most Ducks for SRH in IPL:
- 9 - Rashid Khan
- 5 - Bhuvneshwar Kumar
- 4 - Sandeep Sharma, Travis Head, Abhishek Sharma*
Most Ducks as an Opener in T20s by Indians:
- 17 - Rohit Sharma
- 16 - Ajinkya Rahane
- 15 - Gautam Gambhir, Shikhar Dhawan
- 14 - Abhishek Sharma*
- 13 - Prithvi Shaw, Parthiv Patel
Mohammed Shami strikes again to remove Travis Head
Mohammed Shami continued his fiery spell in the very next over. On the first ball of the second over, he dismissed Travis Head with another well-disguised slower delivery.
Travis Head attempted a lofted drive but failed to read the change in pace. The mistimed shot went towards mid-off, where Aiden Markram completed a neat low catch.
With both openers back in the pavilion within two overs, SRH is left reeling. At the time of writing, SRH were struggling at 31 for 4, facing a tough battle to recover from the early collapse.
The responsibility now lies with the middle-order batters Heinrich Klaasen and Nitish Kumar Reddy to stabilise the innings and post a competitive total.
Also Read: Sanjiv Goenka's Prayers Answered As Prince Yadav Rips Through Ishan Kishan's Defence
