The Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 will begin on March 28 with a match between defending champions Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) and Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH). Cricket fans are eagerly waiting to see the Indian batsmen perform brilliantly in this major T20 franchise tournament.
Former India opener Aakash Chopra has backed Sunrisers Hyderabad opener Abhishek Sharma to make a big statement this season. Chopra predicted that the aggressive left-hander will overcome the likes of Vaibhav Suryavanshi and give a proper breakout campaign in the upcoming tournament.
Abhishek Sharma’s breakout season was not fair – Aakash Chopra
Speaking on Star Sports, Aakash Chopra picked Abhishek Sharma ahead of emerging talents like Prabhasimran Singh, Priyansh Arya, Ayush Mhatre, Vaibhav Suryavanshi, Abhishek Porel, Nehal Wadhera and Tilak Verma to dominate the upcoming Indian Premier League batting charts.
“He hasn’t had a breakout ‘breakout’ season so far, that’s really how we’ve defined it. This should be the season,” Aakash Chopra was quoted as saying by Star Sports.
Abhishek is currently ranked number one among batsmen in T20Is. However, despite featuring in eight different IPL seasons, the 24-year-old is yet to cross the 500-run mark in a single campaign, a milestone many of his teammates have achieved multiple times.
You are expecting him to be consistent – Aakash Chopra
Aakash Chopra said that batsmen like Abhishek Sharma and Tilak Verma play regularly in international cricket. He said that fans demand more consistency from him compared to inexperienced teenagers like Vaibhav Suryavanshi or Priyansh Arya.
“There are also capped Indians with Abhishek Sharma and Tilak Verma. Even if there are names like Dhruv Jurel, you are expecting too much, you are expecting them to be consistent,” the former Indian opener said.
“You also want them to reach a higher position because you are a capped Indian, in fact a world champion in that list as well. So, your expectations and demands from them are a little different,” he said.
Abhishek Sharma has yet to translate his promise into consistent IPL dominance
Abhishek Sharma played a big role in taking Sunrisers Hyderabad to the final of IPL 2024. He scored 484 runs at an impressive average of 32.27 and strike rate of 204.22. However, the opening batsman finished the 2025 edition with similar individual numbers.
While fellow top-order batsmen like Shubman Gill, Yashasvi Jaiswal and Ruturaj Gaikwad are constantly in Orange Cap conversations, Abhishek has struggled to replicate his international dominance in franchise cricket.
Sunrisers Hyderabad management would like him to convert his fast start into big individual scores during the upcoming tournament.
The dynamic batsman enters the season after a mixed T20 World Cup 2026 campaign. He battled illness and performed poorly in the group stage before scoring a match-winning half-century against the New Zealand national cricket team in the final.
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