Out-of-form opener Abhishek Sharma again shows shaky returns, this time falling for zero under lights at Hyderabad’s home ground. First delivery faced – gone, snared high toward the boundary by a pacy Yorker from Jofra Archer. The dismissal came early, soon after toss decisions pushed Sunrisers into batting duty versus Rajasthan. Crowd murmurs rose as the left-hander trudged off without troubling scorers. Conditions seemed fine, pitch behaved normally, yet timing betrayed him once more. Another start wasted, another quiet exit under pressure moments. Hope remains thin but persistent with every new innings he attempts
Out of nowhere, things just haven’t clicked for the aggressive opening batter this season – he keeps getting out early, again and again. Temperatures rose during some matches at the T20 World Cup 2026, only to drop fast when pressure built. Now, that exact pattern creeps into his IPL 2026 campaign without warning.
Out of nowhere, Abhishek claimed a spot no one’s eager to own – surpassing both Rohit Sharma and Sanju Samson in futility. His latest dismissal without scoring marks the seventh time he’s been out on zero in T20s this year. That tally stands alone at the top among Indian players within a single calendar stretch. Before this run, three names were tied – Abhishek, Rohit, and Samson – all stuck at six failures apiece.
Top duck tally by an Indian batsman in T20 matches during one calendar year:
One thing stands out about Abhishek Sharma – seven times he left without scoring by 2026. That number sticks, quiet but clear, through the season’s grind
2 – Rohit Sharma: 6 ducks in 2018
3 – Sanju Samson: 6 ducks in 2024
Gurkeerat Singh Mann 2013
Piyush Chawla faced tough luck in 2009. Four times he was out without scoring a run. That year, silence followed his bat too often. Zero on the board again and again. Not how batters want their name remembered
Tails came up, so they chose to let the others bat first
Coming to the match, RR captain Riyan Parag won the toss and opted to bowl first. “We’ll be bowling first. A new wicket for us, first time it’s been used this season as well. So hopefully there’s a little bit of stickiness at the start,” Parag said at the toss.
Chasing big targets has become routine around here. Falling short in 2024 stung – hoping that story doesn’t repeat now. Two shifts in the group: Brijesh leaves, Tushar Deshpande arrives. Hetty takes a break, Pretorius jumps in for his first outing. The path so far? Full of turns. Longest stretch learning under Sanju Samson, called him Bhaiya. Then Sanga stepped in, sharpened how I see things, brought me into talks on plans and moves. Parag spoke up, feeling the weight he’d carried. Tough choices came one after another – yet here he stood, glad for it. He said so, voice steady.
SRH make two changes
Meanwhile, SRH have also made two changes to the team that lost to Punjab Kings. “We’ve got two changes from the last game, Hinge coming in. I think I’ve been doing this for a long time. I was a leader in Under-19 India, I’ve been doing it for my state team, and I think it makes you more aware of the situation, more focused on the game,” Kishan said at the toss.
Looking out for others matters most since success isn’t tied to one person but how everyone moves together. We’ve made strides, handling things in a way that feels right without forcing it. Being at the front changes things – no surprise there – especially if results follow. Growth like this doesn’t happen by accident; it takes time and quiet strength. Leading lately brought small gains, steady ones, built through showing up and contributing. Back on the Indian side, that was enough for me. What more could anyone want? That is what he said.