Half-centurion Abhishek Sharma becomes first player with this IPL record
What's the story
Sunrisers Hyderabad opener Abhishek Sharma has etched his name in the record books by becoming the first player ever to score five Indian Premier League (IPL) fifties in less than 20 balls, as per Cricbuzz. The 25-year-old left-handed batsman achieved this feat against Punjab Kings at the Maharaja Yadavindra Singh International Cricket Stadium on Saturday. He reached his half-century in just 18 balls before perishing for 74 runs.
Milestone achievement
Abhishek's record-breaking knock
Batting first in the game, SRH were off to a flier with openers, Abhishek and Travis Head (38), adding 105 runs in the powerplay. Abhishek launched seven sixes in this phase en route to his 18-ball fifty. This is not the first time he has scored so quickly in IPL. In previous editions, he had scored fifties in 16 balls once, 18 balls once, and twice in 19 balls each.
Record holder
Players with most IPL fifties in less than 20 balls
Abhishek now leads the list of players with most IPL fifties in less than 20 balls. He is followed by Nicholas Pooran, who has four such fifties to his name. Three players - Jake Fraser-McGurk, Travis Head, and Vaibhav Sooryvanshi - have three sub-20 50s in the IPL. Meanwhile, Shashank Singh trapped Abhishek in the ninth over of the aforementioned match.
Stats
Abhishek races past 1,900 IPL runs
Abhishek eventually departed for 74 off 28 balls, smashing five fours and eight sixes. With his latest efforts, Abhishek has raced to 1,945 runs from 81 IPL games at 27.39. The tally includes 10 fifties, one hundred, and a strike rate of 165.81. 308 of his runs have come against PBKS at 55.42. His strike in this regard goes up to a jaw-dropping 206.38. Abhishek's scores in the ongoing season read 7, 48, 0, and 74.
Feat
Abhishek also attains these records
Seven of Abhishek's eight sixes came in the powerplay - the joint-most by a batter in this phase of an IPL innings. The southpaw now shares this feat with Jos Buttler, Jonny Bairstow, and Sanath Jayasuriya. Abhishek also powered SRH to the third-highest powerplay score in IPL history - 105/0. The top two scores on this list also belong to SRH.
Information
Here are his T20 stats
Overall, in T20 cricket, Abhishek recorded his 41st score of 50 or more. The tally includes eight tons. He has completed 5,370 runs across 185 matches in the format at 32.54. His strike rate is a brilliant 174.01.