The Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium witnessed pure unadulterated violence last night. Abhishek Sharma didn’t just play an innings; he conducted a symphony of destruction, smashing 10 towering sixes and 10 boundaries to pile up a mammoth 242/2 on a pitch that others found slightly tricky.

The ‘Abhi-Shake’ Show: A Ton for the Ages

Opening the batting, Abhishek and Travis Head (37) set the tone with a 97-run partnership that felt like a whirlwind. But while Head departed, Abhishek refused to slow down, reaching his century in just 47 balls and eventually finishing with 135*—the highest individual score of IPL 2026 so far.

The carnage continued as Heinrich Klaasen (37* off 13) joined the party late, striking at a ridiculous rate of 284.62. Delhi’s bowling looked listless, with Nitish Rana leaking 55 runs in his four overs, as SRH maintained a staggering run rate of 12.10 throughout their 20 overs.

Malinga’s Triple-Strike Drowns the Capitals

Delhi Capitals started the chase with hope, reaching 107/1 thanks to Nitish Rana’s fighting 57. However, the game flipped on its head when Eshan Malinga produced a triple-strike in the space of just four balls, removing Rana, KL Rahul, and the dangerous David Miller for a duck.

Malinga finished with 4/32, proving that the legendary name still carries the same deadly accuracy and yorker-heavy threat. Despite a valiant 41 from Sameer Rizvi, the target of 243 proved to be a mountain too high, as Harsh Dubey cleaned up the tail with 3/12 to leave DC stranded at 195/9.