Tryst with success — the Tilak-Abhishek redemption

This is an IPL dominated by left-handed batters. The cynosure is a teenaged wunderkind who is gradually waking up to the reality that franchise cricket isn’t just a bed of roses, but there have been others who have held sway too, established internationals who have done their country proud but are also proving their worth to their respective sides emphatically.

Sanju Samson enjoyed the privilege of becoming the first centurion of IPL 2026 in his first season with Chennai Super Kings, but since then, a trio of left-handers has joined him in the three-figure stakes. Mumbai Indians’ Quinton de Kock became the first overseas performer to score hundreds for three different franchises, while in consecutive days, Tilak Varma for Mumbai Indians and Abhishek Sharma for Sunrisers Hyderabad delighted their vast legion of fans with typically attractive hundreds to somewhat deflect the attention from Vaibhav Suryavanshi.