Abhishek Sharma goes for a duck again! SRH's star opener matches Rohit, Samson in unwanted T20 record

Sunrisers Hyderabad opener Abhishek Sharma’s poor run with the bat continued in IPL 2026 after he was dismissed for a two-ball duck against Lucknow Super Giants at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium in Hyderabad. The left-hander fell to Mohammed Shami early in the innings, adding another low score to his difficult run this year.

With this dismissal, Abhishek recorded his sixth duck in T20s in 2026, equalling the record for the most ducks by an Indian batter in a calendar year. The list also includes Rohit Sharma, who had six ducks in 2018, and Sanju Samson, who reached the same mark in 2024.

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The opener has struggled for consistency in the ongoing IPL season. In three innings so far, Abhishek has managed 55 runs, with 48 of those coming in the previous match against Kolkata Knight Riders.

His recent international outings have also been modest. During the T20 World Cup earlier this year, the world No.1-ranked T20 batter scored 141 runs in eight innings at an average of 17.62, though he maintained a strike rate above 158 and registered two half-centuries, including one in the final.

Overall in 2026, Abhishek has scored 378 runs in 16 T20 innings at an average of 25.20 with a strike rate of more than 195. His tally includes four fifties, with a highest score of 84.

In the IPL 2026 match, Lucknow Super Giants won the toss and chose to field first against Sunrisers Hyderabad. LSG made one change to their playing XI, bringing in Manimaran Siddharth in place of Anrich Nortje.

SRH, led by stand-in captain Ishan Kishan, introduced Harshal Patel and Liam Livingstone into the lineup. Hyderabad had opened their campaign with a defeat against Royal Challengers Bengaluru before registering a 65-run win over Kolkata Knight Riders, while Lucknow were searching for their first victory after losing to Delhi Capitals in their previous game.