New Delhi: Sunrisers Hyderabad’s explosive opening pair Abhishek Sharma And Travis Head turned the powerplay into a run-fest, thwarting the Punjab Kings attack in their IPL 2026 clash at Milanpur on Saturday.From the start, the intent was crystal clear – to attack, dominate and upset. After a relatively cautious start that saw SRH reach 20 for no loss in two overs, the duo changed gears in dramatic fashion. Abhishek led the charge, picking Arsdeep Singh apart in a brutal over that included two fours and two sixes, immediately swinging the momentum in SRH’s favour.What followed was sheer carnage.SRH reached 50 in just 3.4 overs, scoring at an astonishing rate of 13 runs per over – well above the usual powerplay benchmark. Abhishek soon scored a sensational half-century off just 18 balls, which included four massive sixes. He particularly targeted Vijay Kumar Veshak, scoring 24 runs in a single over, including four sixes.At the other end, Head played the perfect foil, maintaining the tempo and ensuring no respite for the bowlers. The highlight of the powerplay came when he hit a hat-trick of boundaries off Xavier Bartlett, taking SRH past 100 inside six overs.By the end of the Powerplay, SRH had reached a staggering 105 for no loss – almost double the teams’ target at this stage.It was the third time that SRH crossed the 100-run mark in the Powerplay – the most by any team in IPL history. No other side has managed to achieve it more than once, underscoring the rarity of the feat.His previous examples include 125/0 against Delhi Capitals and 107/0 against Lucknow Supergiants in IPL 2024. The only other teams to breach this mark even once are Kolkata Knight Riders (105/0 in 2017) and Chennai Super Kings (100/2 in 2014).Abhishek also entered the record books, equaling the record for the most powerplay sixes in an IPL innings – joining elite names like Santh Jayasuriya, Jos Buttler and Jonny Bairstow.100+ scores in IPL 1-6 overs125/0 – SRH v DC, Delhi, 2024107/0 – SRH v LSG, Hyderabad, 2024105/0 – SRH vs PBKS, Milanpur, 2026105/0 – KKR vs RCB, Bengaluru, 2017100/2 – CSK vs PBKS, Mumbai WS, 2014Most sixes in 1-6 overs in an IPL innings7 – Santh Jayasuriya (MI) vs CSK, Mumbai WS, 20087 – Jos Buttler (RR) vs DC, Delhi, 2018 (rain-shortened game)7 – Jonny Bairstow (PBKS) v RCB, Brabourne, 20227 – Abhishek Sharma (SRH) vs PBKS, Milanpur, 2026
