Abhishek Sharma has broken a world record that Chris Gayle and Aaron Finch shared, becoming the first player in T20 cricket history to score four innings of 130-plus runs. The 26-year-old left-hander did it in style an unbeaten 135 off 68 balls, with 10 fours and 10 sixes at a strike rate of 198.53, as Sunrisers Hyderabad posted 242 for 2 and beat Delhi Capitals by 47 runs in Match 31 of IPL 2026 at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium in Hyderabad on Tuesday. It was Abhishek's second IPL century and one of the most dominant batting performances the tournament has seen across its 19 editions. SRH win their third consecutive match and move up to third in the points table, overtaking Rajasthan Royals in the process.

The Record And What It Means

Chris Gayle and Aaron Finch had each scored three T20 innings of 130 or more, a record that had just stood for years and seemed almost untouchable given how rarely players reach those scores even once. Abhishek now has four. The previous three came across different competitions and formats: 141 against Punjab Kings in IPL 2025, 137 for India against England at the Wankhede Stadium, and a 52-ball 148 for Punjab against Bengal in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy in Hyderabad. In addition, Abhishek is now the first player in IPL history to score two individual totals of over 130 runs. He appears twice in the top five highest individual scores in the tournament's 19-year history. Both of the top two highest scores by an Indian batter belong to him. Across all players in IPL history, there have been just seven instances of a batter crossing the 130-run mark, the Amritsar-born southpaw owns two of them.

SRH Gets A Hat-trick Of Victories

Delhi Capitals won the toss and chose to bowl, a decision that looked increasingly costly as the evening wore on. Australian left-handed batter Travis Head gave the innings early momentum with 37 off 26 balls, putting on a 97-run opening stand with Abhishek before falling. From that point, the left-handed opener simply took over. He accelerated through the middle overs and was still going at the death, finishing unbeaten on 135. The South African power-hitter Heinrich Klaasen provided the perfect finish with a cameo of 37 not out off just 13 balls at a strike rate of 284.62. The home team reached 242 for 2, one of the highest totals of IPL 2026 so far.

 

Coming to the chase, Delhi Capitals gave it a genuine effort but were always chasing the game. Nitish Rana scored 57 and KL Rahul contributed 37 and for a period in the first half of the chase, DC had a foothold. But the middle and lower order could not sustain it. DC finished on 195, 47 runs short. Even so, SRH's bowling was equally decisive. Eshan Malinga took 4 wickets to lead the attack, while Harsh Dubey chipped in with 3. Between them, they just annihilated DC's chase at the crucial stages when the game could have shifted.

Points Table After Match 31

Ishan Kishan-led Sunrisers Hyderabad's third consecutive win moves the team to third in the IPL 2026 standings, swapping places with Rajasthan Royals who drop to fourth. Shreyas Iyer's Punjab Kings remain top, RCB sit second and edge SRH on net run rate. Delhi Capitals stay fifth despite the loss, still within touching distance of the top four. At the bottom, Chennai Super Kings, Lucknow Super Giants and Kolkata Knight Riders remain the three sides yet to find consistent form this season. 

 

Abhishek Sharma takes the Player of the Match award home. He has now made three of the seven 130-plus scores in IPL history. At the age of 26, the left-handed explosive batter is just playing the best cricket of his life and the records are now pretty much starting to reflect that.