Picture Credit: Twitter
The buzz around the Indian Premier League (IPL) is intensifying with every passing day. With the auctions done and dusted, fans can't wait for the T20 festival to begin. Each year the IPL produces new stars and makes a relatively unknown known talent a known cricketing star. Ahead of the 2022 season of the competition, seems like the SunRisers Hyderabad (SRH) have seen an element of spark in their young star Abhishek Sharma.
Sources close to SportsTiger have confirmed that the franchise is set to appoint Sharma as their vice-captain. In addition, the same sources have confirmed that the Orange Army was ready to go till 10 crores to buy the all-rounder. This comes as a bit of a surprise since his name was listed with a base price of Rs 20 lakhs. However, Gujarat Titans and Punjab entered into a bidding war for him. The two teams were also joined by SRH, with whom Abhishek had previously played in the tournament.
The 21-year-old was eventually included by the SunRisers Hyderabad at a record price of Rs 6.50 crore. So far, the southpaw hasn't produced earth-shattering numbers in the IPL. In 22 matches, he has 241 runs at an average of 17.21 and a strike rate of 139.31. Moreover, he has 7 wickets from 14 innings, averaging 25.14 with the ball and an economy of 8.0.
It is pertinent to note that Abhishek was part of the U-19 World Cup-winning team that was lifted the trophy in 2018. While the likes of Shubman Gill and Prithvi Shaw grabbed much of the limelight, Abhishek was one of the most important players for the Indian team in that tournament.
He later made his debut for the Delhi Capitals against the Royal Challengers Bangalore but was soon traded by SunRisers Hyderabad in exchange for Shikhar Dhawan. If the said news is later confirmed through official sources then Abhishek will act as the deputy to captain Kane Williamson in IPL 2022 who has immense leadership experience in international cricket. With the New Zealander struggling with a recurrent elbow injury, Abhishek might even get to lead the side in a few matches.