&imwidth=800&imheight=600&format=webp&quality=medium "IPL 2026: AB de Villiers highlights key factor for SRH star Abhishek Sharma, says 'he has to start...'")
Former South Africa captain AB de Villiers has highlighted a key area for star batter Abhishek Sharma as the latest season of the Indian Premier League (IPL) gets closer. Abhishek, currently the number one batter in T20Is, will be a key factor for SunRisers Hyderabad as they look to end their 10-year wait for an IPL title. According to De Villiers, Abhishek needs to overcome challenges mentally and could help SRH deliver their first title in a decade.
Abhishek’s mantra to success
“He’s 25, not 20 anymore. So, this is definitely the phase where he has to start taking more responsibility. There will be media pressure and people asking him to become more consistent. We know he was a little inconsistent during the T20 World Cup, which was disappointing. He had a good finish in the final, but otherwise, it was a quiet tournament for him,” Kumble said.
“He was erratic at times. He had an unbelievable IPL 2025, scoring close to a 200 strike-rate and averaging in the 30s, which is good for an opening batter scoring over 400 runs in the tournament, but it could have been better. Once again, that word consistency comes to mind. It’s a personal challenge he will have to overcome mentally. Being the number one international T20I batter in the world comes with expectation, and that is the most dangerous word in cricket, when you feel like the whole world is closing in on you, and it’s up to him to fight those me,” the former India Test captain added.
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Abhishek played a key role in India’s T20 World Cup success recently and scored an 18-ball fifty in the final. He had a poor run in the opening phase of the World Cup but eventually helped India win the World Cup, while Sanju Samson was another key addition to the squad.
SRH will kickstart their IPL 2026 season against defending champions Royal Challengers Benglauru (RCB) on Saturday (Mar 28) at the M.Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru.
