Abhishek Sharma turned the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy into his personal record book on Sunday, producing one of the most destructive T20 innings by an Indian as Punjab crushed Bengal by 112 runs in Hyderabad.
The left-hander’s 52-ball 148 was not just an exhibition of ball striking — it was a spree of milestones tumbling in real time. Abhishek began by storming to a half-century in just 12 balls, the joint second-fastest T20 fifty by an Indian and the joint third-quickest overall in men’s T20 cricket.
His century arrived in 32 balls, placing him third among Indians for the fastest T20 tons. By the end of the assault, Abhishek had clubbed 17 sixes — the second most by an Indian in a T20 innings — breaking his own record for the most sixes in a calendar year in the format.
Batting with Prabhsimran Singh, who hammered 70 off 35, Abhishek added another entry to the record sheet: a 205-run opening stand, now the highest first-wicket partnership in SMAT history.
Their dominance powered Punjab to 310 for five, only the second 300-plus total ever recorded in the tournament.
The Bengal attack, spearheaded by Mohammed Shami and Akash Deep, found no answers as Abhishek scored at will, often beyond 300 strike rate.
Anything short, full or fractionally off-line disappeared into the stands at Uppal — the same venue where he smashed 141 in the IPL earlier this year.
Bengal captain Abhimanyu Easwaran fought a lone battle with a blistering 130 off 66 balls, but his effort merely narrowed the margin.
Only Akash Deep, with 31 off seven, reached double figures besides the skipper, as Harpreet Brar’s 4 for 23 applied the finishing touches for Punjab.
It ended as a rout — and a reminder that Abhishek Sharma’s power game is now rewriting the domestic record books at dizzying speed.
Brief scores: Punjab 310/5 (Abhishek Sharma 148, Prabhsimran Singh 70) beat Bengal 198/9 (Abhimanyu Easwaran 130; Harpreet Brar 4/23) by 112 runs.