Irfan Pathan Lauds Kartik Sharma's Spin Mastery in CSK's IPL Victory
Kartik Sharma Shines in CSK's IPL Triumph
Irfan Pathan, a former Indian cricketer, has commended the performance of Chennai Super Kings' (CSK) young batter, Kartik Sharma, particularly noting his skill in handling spin bowling. Kartik played a pivotal role in CSK's eight-wicket win against Delhi Capitals (DC) during their IPL 2026 match held at Arun Jaitley Stadium in New Delhi.
Chasing a target of 156 runs, Kartik, who was acquired by CSK for a staggering INR 14.20 crores at the IPL 2026 auction, scored an impressive 41 runs off 31 balls. He formed a crucial partnership of 114 runs with Sanju Samson, leading CSK to victory. Kartik's steady innings allowed Samson to play freely, as he finished with an unbeaten 87 runs off 52 balls, without facing undue pressure. In his innings, Kartik accumulated 26 runs against pace bowlers and 17 runs against spinners.
Pathan Highlights Kartik's Batting Skills
During a discussion on JioHotstar, Irfan Pathan praised Kartik's exceptional off-side play, especially against spin bowling. He emphasized Kartik's ability to read variations, including the googly, and his confidence in attacking both pace and spin bowlers. Pathan remarked, "Kartik Sharma's batting is distinguished by his dominance on the off-side, particularly against spin. His ability to read variations early makes it challenging for bowlers to control him during the middle overs. His confidence from previous performances is evident, and his shots over cover against quality spinners highlight his extensive range, which is crucial for his development as a batter."
Match Overview: CSK vs DC
In the match, Delhi Capitals chose to bat first but struggled, finding themselves at 69/5. A partnership of 65 runs between Tristan Stubbs (38 runs off 31 balls, including one four and two sixes) and Sameer Rizvi (40* runs off 24 balls, with four sixes) helped DC reach a total of 155/7 in their 20 overs. For CSK, Akeal and Noor delivered impressive bowling performances, with figures of 1/19 in four overs and 2/22 in three overs, respectively. CSK completed the chase in just 17.3 overs, winning by eight wickets.
Following this victory, CSK is now sixth on the IPL 2026 points table with 10 points from 10 matches, while DC sits seventh with only four wins and eight points from their 10 matches.