Abhishek Sharma overtakes Vaibhav Suryavanshi in 18 balls against Punjab Kings for huge IPL record; joins elite list

A day after Vaibhav Suryavanshi joined an elite list of batters with most Indian Premier League (IPL) fifties under 20 balls, Abhishek Sharma raced ahead of the 15-year-old Rajasthan Royals kid with a 18-ball half-century against Punjab Kings at Mullanpur on Saturday. In the process, the India opener became the first batter in the history of IPL to register five half-centuries under 20 balls.

Sent into bat first, Abhishek clobbered Punjab Kings bowlers all around the park as Sunrisers Hyderabad raced to a century inside the powerplay. Abhishek's opening partner, Travis Head, was a mere spectator at the non-striker's end. The Indian left-hander hammered five fours and eight sixes, shared a 120-run alliance with opening partner Head in just 8.1 overs.

While such quick fifties are a normal for Abhishek at the top level, it is more often about how often the Sunrisers Hyderabad batter has reached the milestone. After Saturday's innings, Abhishek moved atop the elite list with his fifth fifty under 20 balls, leaving behind the likes of Nicolas Pooran (four), Jake Fraser-McGurk, Travis Head and Vaibhav Suryavanshi (all three).

Abhishek Sharma's IPL fifties under 20 balls

The record for fastest IPL fifty is still with Yashasvi Jaiswal, who had reached his half-century in just 13 balls in 2023 at the Eden Gardens.