Former Team India captain Kris Srikkanth criticized Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) opener Abhishek Sharma after the team’s defeat in the IPL 2026 Eliminator. The former cricketer questioned Abhishek’s inability to play in important knockout matches after another failure in the run chase against Rajasthan Royals (RR).
Sunrisers Hyderabad They lost to Rajasthan Royals by 47 runs in the IPL 2026 eliminator at the New Chandigarh Stadium on Wednesday, May 27. Chasing a mammoth target of 244, Abhishek was out for a duck on two balls after being caught by wicketkeeper Dhruv Jurel off a short ball from Jofra Archer.
He has been a huge failure in the playoffs – Kris Srikkanth criticizes Abhishek Sharma
Speaking on his YouTube channel, Kris Srikkanth criticized Abhishek Sharma For failing to perform well in crucial IPL knockout matches. The former India selector said that struggle to open in the playoffs has been a recurring issue for Sunrisers Hyderabad in the last few seasons.
“Abhishek Sharma has always failed in the playoffs. He has been a huge failure in the playoffs. This has been SRH’s problem since 2024. Despite Ishan Kishan’s blinder, Archer eliminated SRH in the powerplay,” Srikkanth was quoted as saying by Sportskeeda.
Abhishek’s dismissal against Rajasthan Royals spoiled their playoff record. The left-handed batsman has scored only 17 runs at an average of 4.25 in four IPL playoffs.
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Unclear what their strategy was – Kris Srikkanth questions SRH’s batting decisions
Kris Srikkanth also raised questions on Sunrisers Hyderabad’s batting strategy during the eliminator. The former India opener said he was surprised to see Samman being sent ahead of Heinrich Klaasen and admitted that he could not understand the team’s approach during the chase.
“Travis Head is just slogging blindly. I’m not sure why they sent Smaran ahead of Klaasen. Was Klaasen not ready to play Archer, or did SRH want to send Klaasen in after Archer’s initial spell was over? It wasn’t clear what their strategy was. They reached 50 in the third over itself, but once Kishan fell, it was a devastating collapse.”
Sunrisers Hyderabad lost four important wickets within the first five overs. jofra archer Led the Rajasthan Royals attack brilliantly, dismissing Abhishek Sharma, Travis Head and Ishan Kishan during a destructive opening spell that put SRH under immediate pressure.
I have never seen anyone shouting slogans blindly like Head – Kris Srikkanth criticizes Travis Head
Chris Srikkanth also criticized travis headThe approach during the run chase. The former India opener said Head’s careless shot selection against Jofra Archer hurt Sunrisers Hyderabad’s chances.
“If Travis Head had played sensibly and Kishan had not been out at that time, they would have had an outside chance. But the way SRH slogged blindly, did they think it was that easy to score runs? I was surprised that SRH didn’t even struggle. Even Klaasen played a miserable shot and it looked like Archer was waiting for him to finish his spell before coming out to bat,” Srikkanth said (source above through).
“Although it’s unfair how terribly Travis Head swung the bat. I swung the bat blindly in my time, but I’ve never seen anyone swing the ball as blindly as Head. It was clear that Head was intimidated by Archer.”
Ishan Kishan initially kept Sunrisers Hyderabad from chasing the target with a quick counterattack, but his dismissal led to the team’s collapse. Archer then removed Travis Head and continued his dominance as Rajasthan Royals bowled out SRH for 196 and secured a comfortable 47-run win.
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