NEW DELHI: The record-breaking Abhishek Sharma tore through the Mohammed Shami-led Bengal attack with a sensational 52-ball 148, including a staggering 16 sixes, to guide Punjab to a 112-run victory in a Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy Group C match on Sunday.

Playing in his usual aggressive style, Abhishek raced to a 12-ball half-century, which stands as the joint-third-fastest fifty and the joint-second-fastest by an Indian in men’s T20 cricket.

Thanks to his blistering knock against a potent attack led by the experienced Shami and the quick Akash Deep, Punjab posted an imposing 310 for five after batting first.

Sixes galore

Bengal could manage only 198 for nine in their 20 overs despite a 66-ball 130 from skipper Abhimanyu Easwaran, who hit eight sixes and 13 fours. Abhishek’s 16 sixes in the innings now place him second on the list of most sixes in a T20 innings by an Indian, behind Punit Bisht’s 17 in a domestic game against Mizoram.

Opening alongside Prabhsimran Singh (70 off 35 balls), Abhishek went on the offensive against Shami, Akash Deep, Writtick Chatterjee, and Shahbaz Ahmed. The Bengal bowlers struggled to contain him as he found boundaries at will at the same Uppal Stadium where he had previously scored 141 off 55 balls for Sunrisers Hyderabad against Punjab Kings in the IPL.

He scored at over 15 runs an over against Shami (1/61 in 4 overs), Akash Deep (2/55 in 4), Saksham Choudhary (1/35 in 2), and Chatterjee (0/67 in 4). He reached his fifty off five fours and five sixes, facing just one dot ball.

With this innings, the 25-year-old also broke his own record for most T20 sixes in a calendar year. Punjab’s 310 is the second-highest total in Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy history, after Baroda’s 349 for five against Sikkim in Indore in December 2024.

Abhishek reached his century in 32 balls, just short of Sahil Chauhan’s fastest T20 century record of 27 balls. His 205-run opening partnership with Prabhsimran dominated for over 13 overs, while left-arm spinner Harpreet Brar then returned excellent figures of 4/23.

For Bengal, only Akash Deep (31 off 7 balls) besides Easwaran reached double digits as the rest of their lineup struggled against the relentless Punjab attack.

(With PTI Inputs)