New Delhi: Sunrisers Hyderabad opener Abhishek Sharma smashed his first-ever century in the Indian Premier League (IPL) delivering a power-packed performance against Punjab Kings at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium on Sunday. The southpaw reached the milestone in just 40 deliveries during the 13th over while chasing a daunting target of 246 runs. Abhishek Sharma reached his century off Yuzvendra Chahals bowling. As soon as the young batter achieved the milestone the crowd at Uppal erupted in cheers giving him a well-deserved standing ovation. Upon reaching his century Abhishek Sharma proudly held up a white piece of paper showing it to the crowd. When the cameras focused on it the message read This one is for the Orange Army. For those unfamiliar the Orange Army is the loyal fanbase of Sunrisers Hyderabad. As Abhishek Sharma unveiled the paper Punjab Kings captain Shreyas Iyer couldnt resist walking over to the batter to check what was written on it. In pursuit of 246 Abhishek Sharma alongside Travis Head forged a strong opening partnership of 171 runs. Head also showed excellent form contributing 66 runs off 37 balls including nine fours and three sixes before being dismissed. Before this match against Punjab Kings Abhishek Sharma had been facing a rough patch with the bat and SunRisers Hyderabad had also been struggling.