Kartik Sharma gave another glimpse of his exceptional talent during Chennai Super Kings' (CSK) IPL 2026 clash against Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) at Ekana Cricket Stadium on Friday (May 15).
Walking in when CSK were in dire straits at 36/2 in the 6th over, Kartik had to adjust quickly. He initially took his time, assessing the pitch and rotating the strike, reaching his first 29 runs off 26 balls.
Once established at the crease, the 20-year-old shifted gears spectacularly, taking apart the LSG bowling attack to return with 71 off 42 balls with 6 fours and 5 sixes, justifying his hefty price tag of INR 14.2 crore. Thanks to his second half-century of the season, CSK posted a highly competitive 187/5 in 20 overs.
While LSG rode on Mitchell Marsh’s blistering 90 off 38 balls to chase down the 188-run target with seven wickets and 20 deliveries to spare, Kartik’s knock left a lasting impression on former India and CSK batter, Ambati Rayudu.
"I think it's been exceptional. I think he was prepared for a lot of short bowling against a team that has good fast bowlers, which shows his preparation has been spot on," Rayudu said on ESPNcricinfo TimeOut.
"His game against spin, too, has been quite exceptional in reading length. I just think he's turning into a complete middle-order batter; especially for conditions at home in India, he is looking very, very good," he added.
Rayudu isn't worried about Kartik’s 134 strike-rate across his first nine matches. He attributed it to inexperience, as the youngster is still learning how to rotate the strike depending on different pitches.
"He can hit sixes against both fast bowlers and spinners. His batsmanship will improve over time with confidence and experience. He'll know his single options or double options on a certain pitch. Once he starts getting into those nitty-gritties, I feel the strike rate also will improve," Rayudu stated.
"I just think his progress has been pretty rapid, and he's looking good. He is a fast learner. He's learning on the job, poor guy - he has batted No. 6 and No. 7 for the first part of the IPL. It's not an easy number. But since he has come at No. 4 or No. 5, he has been batting exceptionally well," he remarked.
