India, April 18 -- Veteran India all-rounder Ravichandran Ashwin was full of praise for Abhishek Sharma after the Sunrisers Hyderabad opener turned the tide in his battle with Matthew Short during the Southern derby in IPL 2026 on Saturday. Abhishek came out all guns blazing, bringing up a 15-ball fifty that put Chennai Super Kings on the back foot right from the powerplay.

CSK skipper Ruturaj Gaikwad handed Matthew Short the new ball, trusting his off-spin to challenge Abhishek and Travis Head early on. The move seemed to work initially, with Short conceding just 13 runs in his first two overs and keeping things tight. However, Gaikwad's decision to persist with him for a third over proved costly. Sensing an opportunity, Abhishek shifte...