Sunrisers Hyderabad secured their third win in three consecutive matches in the IPL 2026, defeating Delhi Capitals by 47 runs in Match 31 of the tournament, held at the Rajiv Gandhi International Cricket Stadium at Hyderabad on April 21.
The unbeatable 135 by Abhishek Sharma on 68 balls was the main foundation of the SRH 242/2 that Delhi Capitals, with a target of 243 to reach, never had a chance of doing. The victory catapulted SRH to second place in the IPL 2026 points table alongside Royal Challengers Bengaluru and Rajasthan Royals.
How Abhishek Sharma Built His Innings
Delhi Capitals captain Axar Patel won the toss and elected to bowl first. SRH openers Abhishek Sharma and Travis Head gave the hosts a brisk start, scoring nine runs in the first over. Head was dismissed for 37 off 26 balls by Axar Patel, bringing in Ishan Kishan.
Sharma reached his fifty off 25 balls, his slowest fifty in an IPL innings at the Uppal ground, before accelerating sharply through the middle overs. In the 15th over, he brought up his century off just 47 balls, reaching the milestone with a six off Nitish Rana. Ishan Kishan was run out for 25 in the same over, bringing Heinrich Klaasen to the crease.
Klaasen provided a rapid late contribution, scoring 37 off 13 balls including three sixes and three fours. T Natarajan bowled an economical 19th over, conceding only six runs, before Sharma and Klaasen added 20 runs in the final over. Sharma finished unbeaten on 135 off 68 balls, with 9 fours and 10 sixes.
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DC’s Chase Falls Short
Chasing 243, a figure beyond Delhi Capitals’ highest-ever successful chase of 214, DC needed an extraordinary start. Dilshan Madushanka, making his IPL debut for SRH, removed Pathum Nissanka early. KL Rahul scored a brisk 37 off 23 balls but could not provide a sustained platform.
Nitish Rana top-scored for DC with 57 off 30 balls, while Sameer Rizvi contributed 41 off 28. Tristan Stubbs added 27 off 16, but with the asking rate climbing steeply, DC batters were forced into high-risk shots from the middle overs onward.
Eshan Malinga was the standout bowler for SRH, finishing with 4 wickets for 32 runs in four overs, the best bowling figures of IPL 2026 at that point in the tournament. Harsh Dubey claimed 3 wickets for 12 runs in two overs to effectively end DC’s lower-middle order resistance. Delhi Capitals were restricted to 195 for 9 in 20 overs, falling 47 runs short.
SRH’s Standing After the Win
The result gave SRH their fourth win of IPL 2026 and their third in succession. The team has now settled into a consistent run-scoring pattern at the top of the order, with Abhishek Sharma holding the Orange Cap heading into the match and extending his lead with this innings.
Klaasen had been leading the tournament run charts with 283 runs prior to this game, while the SRH bowling unit, operating without Pat Cummins, who remains unavailable, has relied on domestic bowlers Praful Hinge, Sakib Hussain, and Eshan Malinga across recent matches.
SRH’s next fixture is scheduled against Rajasthan Royals on April 25, when Cummins is tentatively expected to return to the playing XI.
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