'Yuvraj has worked really hard on him and Abhishek has also put in the effort.'
Sunrisers Hyderabad opener Abhishek Sharma's father Raj Kumar Sharma has lauded Yuvraj Singh's contribution to his son's rise, calling the former India all-rounder a key figure in Abhishek's development.
"Yuvraj Singh has played a major role in Abhishek's success," Raj Kumar told ANI.
"He has worked really hard on him, and Abhishek has also put in the effort. I'm very proud of my son, his hard work is taking him forward. This game is all about performance, and those who perform, move ahead," he added.
Despite SRH failing to qualify for the playoffs, Abhishek emerged as a bright spot.
On Sunday, during the match against Kolkata Knight Riders he joined an elite list, becoming the only batter to score over 400 runs in successive Indian Premier League seasons, each with a strike rate exceeding 180.
He is also the only second batter to have multiple IPL seasons with 400+ runs at 180+ strike rate, the other player being Punjab Kings (PBKS) batter Glenn Maxwell (in 2014 and 2023).
The SRH opener is also only the second batter to score 400+ runs in an IPL season (484 runs in 2024) with a 200+ strike rate, the other player being Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) all-rounder Andre Russell (510 runs in 2019).
Reflecting on SRH's underwhelming season, Raj Kumar said, "SRH is a very good team... but I don't know why they couldn't win more matches this year. When the IPL started, we thought they would perform well. It's okay, next year they'll come with better preparation and fix the things that lacked."
Heinrich Klaasen's century and a fifty from Travis Head powered SRH to 278/3 in 20 overs against Kolkata Knight Riders. This is the third-highest total by any team in IPL history.
Klaasen was awarded player of the match for his brilliant 105 off 39, including seven fours and nine sixes. Klaasen registered the fastest hundred of the ongoing IPL in 37 balls.
KKR endured a forgettable outing on Sunday as they failed to chase down a mammoth target of 279 set by Sunrisers Hyderabad at the Arun Jaitley Stadium, crashing to a 110-run defeat.
Sunrisers Hyderabad's bowling attack was led by a trio of effective performers, Jaydev Unadkat, Eshan Malinga, and Harsh Dubey, all of whom picked up three wickets each to dismantle KKR's batting line-up.