Abhishek Sharma overcame a string of low scores in IPL 2025 with a maiden hundred against the Punjab Kings, as Sunrisers Hyderabad chased down 245 with eight wickets in hand and nine balls to spare at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium in Hyderabad on Saturday.

The southpaw smashed 141 off 55 balls, with his hundred coming off only 40 deliveries, making it the sixth-fastest ton in the history of the IPL. In a display of destructive batting, Abhishek hit 14 boundaries and 10 sixes.

The 24-year-old brought up his hundred off the bowling of Yuzvendra Chahal. As soon as he completed the hundred, the entire crowd at Uppal erupted in jubilation and gave him a standing ovation.

After celebrating the hundred with a fist pump, Abhishek was seen displaying a handwritten note towards the crowd. As the cameras zoomed in on it, one could read: “This one is for the Orange Army.”

The name "Orange Army" refers to the fanbase of Sunrisers Hyderabad. When Abhishek brought out the paper, Punjab Kings captain Shreyas Iyer rushed to check what was written on it.

Abhishek was eventually dismissed by Arshdeep Singh after laying the foundation of SRH’s chase by forming a 171-run partnership with his opening partner Travis Head, who scored 66 off 37 balls.

Speaking about the note celebration after the match, Head said Sharma had been waiting for this moment, having carried the note in his pocket for the past six games this season.

“The note has been in the pocket of Abhishek Sharma for 6 games, glad it came out tonight,” Head said.

Before Saturday's game, Abhishek had struggled to get going, managing scores of only 24, 6, 1, 2, and 18 in his previous five outings. But after his swashbuckling knock, he has now amassed 192 runs from six games at an average of 32, with a striking strike rate of 202.11.

After the match, Abhishek dedicated his knock to his parents, his mentor Yuvraj Singh, Indian T20I captain Suryakumar Yadav, and the Orange Army.

“This one is very special and I was thinking that I wanted to break the losing streak. It was very tough as a player and as a youngster, but the mood in the team was very good,” Sharma said at the post-match presentation ceremony.

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