Chennai Super Kings' (CSK) sensational acquisition Kartik Sharma has earned praise from a former franchise icon after he scored 71 off 42 against the Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) on Friday, May 15, in the ongoing Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026. However, CSK lost the game but Kartik managed to impress Ambati Rayudu, who won three IPL titles with the team previously.
Ambati Rayudu lauds Kartik Sharma's 'exceptional' batting.
The 20 year old, who was acquired by CSK for a whopping INR 14.2 crore during the TATA IPL 2026 auction, making him the joint-most expensive buy of the season for CSK alongside Prashant Veer, who was bought for the same amount.
Rayudu was impressed by Kartik's preparation, game awareness, and growth as a batter after his impressive innings. Rayudu first highlighted Kartik’s preparation against pace bowling, especially short-pitched deliveries. Since LSG had quality fast bowlers, he felt Kartik was mentally ready for that challenge beforehand.
"I think it's been exceptional. I think he was prepared for a lot of short bowling against a team that has good fast bowlers, which shows his preparation has been spot on," Rayudu said on ESPNcricinfo TimeOut.
He then spoke about Kartik’s ability against spin, saying the batter has been excellent at reading the length early. This means Kartik is quickly judging whether the ball is short or full and reacting accordingly, which is considered a major quality for middle-order batters in Indian conditions where spin plays a huge role.
"His game against spin, too, has been quite exceptional in reading length. I just think he's turning into a complete middle-order batter; especially for conditions at home in India, he is looking very, very good," he added.
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Kartik's numbers in IPL 2026
The Bharatpur-born batter has featured in nine matches for CSK in IPL 2026 so far, scoring 244 runs at an average of 35 and a strike rate of 134, including two half-centuries. Kartik Sharma is expected to play a crucial role in Chennai’s remaining league fixtures, with the team needing victories in both matches to keep their playoff hopes alive.