Abhishek Sharma did not just give Sunrisers Hyderabad a blistering start against Punjab Kings in New Chandigarh. He turned another explosive innings into a record that now belongs to him alone.
Opening the batting at the Maharaja Yadavindra Singh International Cricket Stadium, Abhishek raced to his half-century in just 18 balls, getting there with a six off Vijaykumar Vyshak in the fifth over. That made him the first player in IPL history to score five fifties in less than 20 balls.
That is the real story here. Not just the speed of this knock, but the fact that he has done it so often that he now sits clear of the field in one of the league’s most extreme batting categories. After Saturday’s innings, Abhishek moved ahead of Nicholas Pooran, who has four IPL fifties in under 20 balls. Behind them are Jake Fraser-McGurk, Travis Head and Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, each with three.
In a league built on aggression, that is elite company. In Abhishek’s case, it is beginning to look less like occasional destruction and more like a repeatable batting method.
The five entries that built the record
This latest 18-ball fifty against Punjab was the fifth such effort of Abhishek’s IPL career. Before this, he had already got to fifty once in 16 balls, once in 18 balls, and twice in 19 balls.
His quickest remains the 16-ball fifty against the Mumbai Indians in Hyderabad on March 27, 2024. He then followed it up with a 19-ball fifty against Lucknow Super Giants in Hyderabad on May 8, 2024, another 19-ball fifty against Punjab Kings in Hyderabad on April 12, 2024, and an 18-ball fifty against Lucknow Super Giants in Lucknow on May 19, 2025. Saturday’s assault against Punjab in New Chandigarh was the fifth entry, and the one that took him clear of everyone else.
So, this is not a one-off afternoon living forever on social media clips. It is a sustained record of powerplay violence across seasons, conditions and opposition.
How he blew PBKS away before they found a response
The innings itself was every bit as savage as the record suggests. Abhishek Sharma smashed 74 off 28 balls, with 5 fours and 8 sixes, and along with Travis Head ripped through Punjab’s bowling in the first nine overs. SRH crossed the 100 mark inside the Powerplay and looked ready to turn the innings into a full-scale batting riot.
This was not just boundary-hitting. It was phase control. Abhishek attacked so early and so cleanly that PBKS were forced into reaction mode almost immediately. Lengths changed, plans shifted, and the fielding side spent the first part of the innings trying to survive the storm rather than shape it.
That is what makes Abhishek so dangerous in this format. When he gets going, he does not merely score quickly. He alters the tempo of the whole game.
Shreyas Iyer’s move that stopped the fire from spreading
Punjab, though, did find a way to hit back, and that is where Shreyas Iyer’s captaincy deserves proper credit.
With SRH threatening to bat PBKS out of the contest, Iyer introduced Shashank Singh, and the move worked instantly. Shashank struck twice in the over, removing Travis Head and then Abhishek Sharma, pulling Punjab back from the edge of a complete early collapse.
Those wickets did not undo the damage Abhishek had already caused. SRH had already been launched. But Iyer’s move ensured that the innings did not spiral completely out of control.
So yes, this was an Abhishek Sharma special. But it was also a reminder of two truths. First, no one in IPL history has made sub-20-ball fifties a habit quite like him. And second, even on a day ruled by batters, one bold captaincy call can still change the shape of the contest.
