Abhishek Bhandari is a professional cricketer from Indore. He plays for Madhya Pradesh in major Indian domestic tournaments. He is also a key player for the Jabalpur Royal Lions in the Madhya Pradesh League T20 (MPL).His 51-ball 80* is one of his standout MPL 2026 performances. It showed his ability to control an entire innings while scoring at a very fast pace. Bhandari usually bats at the top of the order. He is excellent at using the powerplay overs to hit boundaries and give his team a fast start. He handles the gloves for his teams. His quick reflexes behind the stumps make him a valuable two-way player. Bhandari has been a regular face in the Madhya Pradesh cricket circuit. He made his debut for Madhya Pradesh in 2019.
In 18 List A matches, he has scored 587 runs, including a highest score of 106. Abhishek Bhandari made his official Twenty20 debut for Madhya Pradesh on February 21, 2019, during the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy (SMAT). He debuted against the powerhouse Punjab team featuring cricket icons like Yuvraj Singh, Harbhajan Singh, Mandeep Singh, and Sandeep Sharma. Madhya Pradesh won the toss and chose to bat. They got off to a rough start, losing star openers Naman Ojha and Rajat Patidar early, leaving the team struggling at 12/2 in the 4th over. Coming in under heavy pressure, Bhandari joined forces with Parth Sahani to completely flip the momentum of the game. Bhandari smashed 54 (not out) off just 31 balls*.
Abhishek Bhandari scores impactful 80 runs in just 51 balls, puts on fighting score for his team
The Jabalpur Royal Lions (JRL) walked into the match needing a big performance. The pitch at Holkar Stadium was offering plenty of assistance to the bowlers early on. The Royal Nimar Eagles bowling attack, led by an on-fire Devendra Katheit, started tearing through the Jabalpur top order. As wickets collapsed around him, Bhandari was forced to completely change his game plan. He locked down one end to prevent a total team collapse while also making sure he scores at a run rate which doesn't make the team lose the momentum. Bhandari batted with control and aggression and scored 80 runs in 51 balls with a strike rate of 156.86. He anchored one end while punishing loose deliveries to help his team set a highly competitive target.
The Royal Nimar Eagles threw everything they had at Bhandari. Bowler Devendra Katheit was absolutely lethal, finishing with stellar figures of 3 wickets for 26 runs in his 4 overs. Every time Katheit picked up a wicket, Bhandari absorbed the pressure, took a single, and reset the field. Once the innings reached the final 5 overs, Bhandari switched gears. He began targeting the Eagles' support bowlers, using his powerful wristwork to clear the boundary and convert a mediocre score into a fighting total of 176/6. Leading up to this June match, Bhandari was struggling with a string of low scores (6, 23, 12, and 14). This 80-run performance silenced critics and proved he belongs at the top of the order under heavy pressure.
