‘Let the bat do the work’: Yuvraj Singh’s special message to protector Abhishek Sharma

Abhishek Sharma He scored his ninth T20 hundred in the IPL, his second-highest score in the IPL and also completed 20 overs with the bat for the first time in his IPL career. His brilliant unbeaten 135 took Sunrisers Hyderabad’s total to 242 as the team successfully defended their title with a 47-run victory over Delhi Capitals. After a knock on the door, his mentor Yuvraj Singh Heaped praise on his disciple, saying, “Let the bat do the work!”Sunrisers Hyderabad continued their strong momentum in IPL 2026, beating Delhi Capitals by 47 runs on the back of Abhishek Sharma’s unbeaten 135 runs. His 68-ball knock, which included 10 fours and 10 sixes, led SRH to a mammoth 242/2, supported by Travis Head (37) and Heinrich Klaasen (37* in 13 balls).In response, Delhi Capitals showed early promise through the partnership between KL Rahul (37) and Nitish Rana (57) but lost momentum after their dismissal. Eshan Malinga performed well with the ball, scoring 4/32 with two wickets in two balls, while DC were restricted to 195/9.The win pushed SRH to third place, while DC slipped to fifth in the table. Reflecting on his innings, Abhishek said the team had a clear plan to attack the powerplay but had to reassess the conditions quickly. “Initially, I felt we had a plan… but the wickets were a bit slow, so we had to re-plan again. I just wanted to capitalize on the powerplay and entertain the crowd,” he said, adding that it was not easy to judge the score before the innings progressed.The southpaw also praised the environment at SRH for allowing him to play freely. “You have to have the support of the captain and the coach… that’s very important. The environment at Sunrisers in 2024 is a game-changer. It feels like they want to develop young people,” he explained, noting that this freedom has helped him express himself consistently.After his slam, he earned praise from mentor Yuvraj Singh, who wrote on X: “Let the bat do the work! Get better every day, good batting, Abhishek sir! Keep up with the process,” Abhishek’s mentor Yuvraj Singh wrote on X.Yuvraj Singh has been coaching Abhishek Sharma since around 2019 and strengthened their partnership through a structured training camp in Mohali during the COVID-19 lockdown of 2020. He implemented a long-term “four-year plan” to help Abhishek transition from a domestic player to an international-level performer.The coaching focused on improving technique, discipline, physical fitness and mental strength and Yuvraj played a key role in boosting Abhishek’s confidence during the challenging phase. This guidance has paid off, as evidenced by Abhishek’s recent performances, including his impressive unbeaten 135 runs in IPL 2026.