New Delhi: In the 31st match of the Indian Premier League, Abhishek Sharma delivered a blistering batting performance, guiding Sunrisers Hyderabad to a one-sided victory over the Delhi Capitals. At no point during the match did the scales appear to tip in Delhi’s favour.
Batting aggressively, Abhishek Sharma played a magnificent innings of 135 runs off just 68 balls, for which he was also named the Man of the Match. With this memorable innings, he also broke a major record. In a specific record list, Abhishek Sharma surpassed the West Indies’ Chris Gayle, famously known as the ‘Universe Boss.’
Key Highlights
Surpassing Chris Gayle’s “Universe Boss” Record
With this innings, Abhishek became the first player in the history of T20 cricket to record four scores of 130+ runs.
- The Milestone: He surpassed Chris Gayle and Aaron Finch, who both hold three such scores.
- Consistency: He has achieved this feat across different formats of T20 cricket, including T20Is, the IPL, and domestic tournaments.
. A Career Defined by Massive Scores
The “130+ Club” for Abhishek Sharma now includes these four legendary knocks:
- 148 vs Bengal (2025): Scored for Punjab in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy.
- 141 vs Punjab Kings (2025): His highest individual score in the IPL.
- 135 vs Delhi Capitals (2026):* His match-winning performance on Tuesday.
- 135 vs England (February 22, 2025): The highest-ever T20I score by an Indian batsman.
Abhishek Sharma Rains Runs
Batting for Sunrisers Hyderabad, Abhishek Sharma created absolute havoc with his willow. He played a spectacular innings of 135 runs, smashing 10 sixes and 10 fours during his stay at the crease. In total, he amassed 100 runs solely through boundaries (fours and sixes). He took every single Delhi Capitals bowler to the cleaners.
For the Delhi Capitals, six different bowlers conceded runs at an economy rate of 10 or higher. Kuldeep Yadav gave away 30 runs in 2 overs; Mukesh Kumar conceded 53 runs in 4 overs, while Nitish Rana leaked 55 runs in his 4 overs.
Surpassing Chris Gayle
The explosive batsman Abhishek Sharma created history in T20 cricket by recording the highest number of innings scoring over 130 runs. He achieved this feat for the fourth time. Before this, in 2025, he had scored 141 runs against the Punjab Kings, which remains his highest individual score in the IPL. He has now surpassed both Chris Gayle and Aaron Finch, who have each achieved this milestone three times.
Abhishek Sharma has become the first player to score over 130 runs four times at the T20 level. He had previously won the hearts of fans by playing a magnificent innings of 135 runs against England on February 22, 2025. That innings stands as the highest individual score ever recorded by an Indian batsman in a T20 International match.
Subsequently, in IPL 2026, he scored 141 runs against the Punjab Kings. Following this, while playing for Punjab, Abhishek Sharma delivered a blistering innings of 148 runs against Bengal in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy. Just a day earlier—on Tuesday—Abhishek Sharma made history by scoring 135 runs against Delhi Capitals in IPL 2026.
