Sunrisers Hyderabad vice-captain Abhishek Sharma found himself in trouble following an on-field outburst during their IPL 2026 clash against Kolkata Knight Riders at Eden Gardens.
The left-handed batter showed visible dissent after being given out, appearing unconvinced about a catch taken by Varun Chakravarthy. Even after the decision was reviewed and upheld, Abhishek lingered at the crease and expressed frustration through gestures before eventually walking back. His reaction drew the attention of match officials, resulting in disciplinary action for breaching the code of conduct.
He was fined 25% of his match fee and handed one demerit point. In an official statement, the Indian Premier League confirmed that Abhishek admitted to a Level 1 offence under Article 2.3 and accepted the sanction imposed by the match referee, whose decision is final in such cases.
Despite the controversy, Abhishek looked in excellent form, scoring 48 runs before being dismissed by Blessing Muzarabani, with Chakravarthy completing a sharp diving catch.
SRH register first win of the season
Batting first, Hyderabad got off to a blazing start, with Travis Head and Abhishek putting together an 82-run opening partnership in just 34 balls. Head scored 46, while Abhishek added 48.
The momentum continued in the middle and death overs, thanks to Heinrich Klaasen (52) and Nitish Kumar Reddy (39), powering SRH to a formidable total of 226/8 in 20 overs.
For KKR, Muzarabani starred with four wickets, while Vaibhav Arora picked up two. Kartik Tyagi and Anukul Roy chipped in with one wicket each.
In response, Kolkata were bowled out for 161 in 16 overs despite a fighting 52 off 29 balls by Angkrish Raghuvanshi. For SRH, Jaydev Unadkat (3/21) led the bowling attack, while Nitish Kumar Reddy (2/17) and Eshan Malinga (2/14) provided strong support.
