Abhishek Sharma adds another unwanted record to his name after duck in Eliminator vs RR

Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) are currently in massive trouble while chasing 243 against Rajasthan Royals (RR) in the IPL 2026 Eliminator, as their hopes of reaching Qualifier 2 are hanging by a thread.

SRH lost wickets at regular intervals during the mammoth chase, and their star opener Abhishek Sharma’s early dismissal only added to their misery.

The explosive left-hander was dismissed for a duck during the pressure knockout clash, adding another unwanted record to his name in what turned out to be a disastrous outing for the opener.

Abhishek Sharma registers unwanted T20 record after playoff failure

With the duck against RR,  Sharma now holds the record for the most ducks by an Indian batter in a calendar year in T20 cricket.

Most ducks in a calendar year in T20s by an Indian batter:

8 – Abhishek Sharma in 2026 (28 innings)*
6 – Rohit Sharma in 2018 (32 innings)
6 – Sanju Samson in 2024 (32 innings)

The dismissal also continued Abhishek’s disappointing trend in knockout matches.

Also Read: 'If I had gone...': Vaibhav Sooryavanshi reveals the moment that cost him century during SRH vs RR

Despite enjoying a brilliant IPL 2026 league stage campaign, the SRH opener once again failed to deliver in a playoff fixture.

Before the Eliminator, Abhishek already had a poor record in IPL playoffs, registering scores of 3, 12 and 2 during the 2024 season.

His overall T20 knockout numbers have also remained underwhelming despite his explosive batting reputation.

Coming into the Eliminator, Abhishek Sharma had scored only 248 runs in 15 T20 knockout innings at an average below 18.

The left-hander had earlier shown signs of maturity this season by batting deeper into innings and adapting to different match situations, but the Eliminator once again exposed his struggles under playoff pressure.

SRH staring at exit as RR tighten grip on Eliminator

Sunrisers Hyderabad are now in serious trouble while chasing the gigantic target set by Rajasthan Royals.

At the time of writing, SRH had collapsed to 139/7 in the 12th over with the required run rate climbing rapidly.

RR bowlers have completely dominated the second innings after their batting lineup earlier posted a massive 243 on the board.

Also Read: SRH face major Abhishek Sharma concern ahead of Eliminator vs RR due to worrying record

From the looks of it, Rajasthan Royals are firmly on course to book a place in Qualifier 2, where they are set to face Gujarat Titans on Friday, May 29.

SRH’s hopes of making the IPL 2026 final now appear all but over unless their lower order produces something extraordinary.