IPL: Abhishek Sharma in elite club with back-to-back 400+ run seasons at 180+ strike

Abhishek Sharma, the Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) batter has made a smashing entry into an elite list. Sharma became the only batter to score over 400 runs in successive Indian Premier League (IPL) seasons, each with a strike rate exceeding 180.

Sharma achieved this milestone in his outing against Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) in the 68th match of the Indian Premier League (IPL) at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in Delhi on Sunday.

He is also the only second batter to have multiple IPL seasons with 400+ runs at 180+ strike rate, the other player being Punjab Kings (PBKS) batter Glenn Maxwell (in 2014 and 2023).

He is also only the second batter to score 400+ runs in an IPL season (484 runs in 2024) with a 200+ strike rate, the other player being Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) all-rounder Andre Russell (510 runs in 2019).

Sharma is one of the most destructive openers in the shorter formats of the game. Known for his clean striking, Sharma first grabbed attention as a teenager, being picked up by the Delhi Capitals in 2018.

Since joining Sunrisers Hyderabad in 2019, Abhishek has been a key player, contributing both with the bat and with occasional left-arm orthodox spin. He holds the record for the joint-fastest 50 by an SRH batter, off just 16 balls.

In 77 IPL matches the Hyderabad opener has made 1816 runs, with an average of 27.10 and strike rate of 162, he has nine fifties and a century to his name.

SRH is coming off two consecutive wins in their last two games against Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) and Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB). They are currently placed in the eighth position in the points table.

On the other hand, KKR is seventh in the IPL points table, with five wins and six defeats, along with two 'no-result' games in their 13 matches.