After Abhishek Sharma’s explosive 59 (20) helped Sunrisers Hyderabad defeat the Lucknow Super Giants handily on Monday, May 19, former Indian cricketer Aakash Chopra showered the top-order batsman with accolades. He compared Abhishek’s batting style to that of Yuvraj Singh, his guru, and Mitchell Marsh.

Once settled in with the bat, the stunning SRH opener can turn a contest one-sided, according to the former India Test opener.

“What he brings to the table is flamboyance.” He is obviously copying his hero, Yuvraj Singh, since he grips the bat at the top like Mitchell Marsh does, and he has a lovely backlift and downswing. When he bats, you notice hints of Yuvi.

You invest in Abhishek Sharma for this reason. He can make the match one-sided if he gets going.

He allowed others time to become comfortable with his 59 off 20 balls today. quite powerful down the ground and through the off-side. Tonight, I believe he bowled Ravi Bishnoi out with one over and four sixes. “That was that,” Aakash said in a JioHotstar interview.

In the XI, Klaasen demonstrated why SRH needed him: Akash Chopra

The decision by SRH to pay INR 23 crore for Heinrich Klaasen made him the most costly player ever retained in IPL history. According to Chopra, Klaasen’s performance against LSG (47 off 28) was one of the hits that earned him the high price at the mega auction held before the season started.

At the midway point, SRH had the upper hand. It only required common sense and a consistent relationship, not a lot of bluster. They took that action. Although Klaasen was retained for INR 23 crore, more than Rohit, Bumrah, or Kohli, people talk about Pant asking INR 27 crore. It’s a lot of money. You anticipate receiving your money back. He has scored several runs this season, but they haven’t always been significant. However, he demonstrated tonight why you should have Klaasen in your X; he led them to victory with composure,” he continued.

All in all, IPL 2025 was a disappointing campaign for SRH. The runners-up of the previous edition were the third side to get knocked out from the race to the playoffs. They would be keen on finishing their season on a high with their final couple of games scheduled against Royal Challengers Bengaluru and Kolkata Knight Riders on May 23 and May 25, respectively.