A recent update has brought India national cricket team opener Abhishek Sharma and all-rounder Axar Patel into the limelight, but not for their performances in the ongoing Indian Premier League 2026 (IPL 2026). The latest reason reflects the rise of Abhishek Sharma and Axar Patel in the game.
While Axar is leading Delhi Capitals (DC), Abhishek is the vice-captain of Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) in the ongoing IPL 2026 and the performance of both the teams is almost similar so far.
Abhishek Sharma and Akshar Patel make it to NADA registered testing pool
Well, as reported by PTI, players Abhishek Sharma and Axar Patel have now been added to India’s National Anti-Doping Agency (NADA) Registered Testing Pool (RTP), which means stricter rules and more responsibility for these Indian stars.
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Akshar and Abhishek are now part of NADA’s RTP, where the athletes are closely monitored for the second quarter of the current year, following their recent success and growing importance in the team. Overall, 14 Indian cricketers are part of the latest NADA’s RTP, which includes 348 athletes.
Under this system, players will have to regularly share their location details with NADA and be available for surprise testing at any time during a fixed daily window. If an athlete fails to report his whereabouts three times, it is considered a doping violation, which can cause serious problems in his career.
Shreyas Iyer and Smriti Mandhana are out of this list
With Axar and Abhishek joining NADA, India women’s superstar Smriti Mandhana and Punjab Kings (PBSK) captain Shreyas Iyer are no longer part of the updated list. However, Deepti Sharma, Shafali Verma and Renuka Singh Thakur are still part of NADA.
At the same time, many big names remain a part of this system. Indian players like Shubman Gill, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Hardik Pandya, Rishabh Pant, Jasprit Bumrah, KL Rahul, Arshdeep Singh and Tilak Verma remain part of the National Anti-Doping Agency’s registered testing pool.
Abhishek Sharma’s batting struggle continues
Talking about Abhishek Sharma’s performance in the ongoing IPL 2026, the SRH opener is going through a tough time as his inconsistent performance with the bat continues after a poor T20 World Cup 2026 campaign on home soil.
The left-handed batsman has scored only 129 runs in 5 matches so far at an impressive strike rate of 215.00. He is currently the key player in India’s T20I setup.
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Currently, Sunrisers Hyderabad is at fourth position in the points table with 2 wins and 3 losses. The SRH team is currently led by Ishan Kishan as regular captain Pat Cummins is recovering from injury.
Axar Patel has not found his form yet in IPL 2026
On the other hand, this is Axar Patel’s second year as the captain of Delhi Capitals. This all-rounder has led the team to 2 wins and 2 losses so far this season. However, spinner DC has been able to take only 3 wickets in the 4 matches played so far in the current tournament.
Akshar has now become one of India’s most reliable all-rounders in all three formats of the game. He has been a part of India’s three consecutive ICC trophy wins (2024 T20 World Cup, 2025 Champions Trophy and 2026 T20 World Cup) and has played a key role in each success.
