Bengaluru: Travis Head’s destructive hundred was the driving force behind Sunrisers Hyderabad’s record-breaking 287 for three against a rudderless Royal Challengers Bengaluru in their IPL 2024 match here on Monday.
The Sunrisers went past their own 277 for three against Mumbai Indians at Hyderabad on March 27 to raise the bar for the highest total in the IPL so far.
Travis gave SRH a Head-start with a 102 (41b, 9×4, 8×6), his maiden T20 hundred, and rarely gave a moment of respite to the Royal Challengers bowlers, who lacked variety or imagination, after Hyderabad were put into bat.
The South Australian added 108 runs off 49 balls with his opening partner Abhishek Sharma (34, 22b) and 57 off 26 balls with Heinrich Klaasen (67, 31b, 2×4, 7×6) for the second wicket as the hosts’ bowlers wilted under sustained firing.
Head’s batting does not carry the traditional elegance of a left-hander but he more than compensates it with effectiveness.
His innings at the Chinnaswamy Stadium was a telltale example of the simple principles he follows in batting — anything in his hitting arc will disappear far and wide.
The 30-year-old displayed that chilling efficiency against RCB pacers Reece Topley and debutant Lockie Ferguson, who walked in for out-of-form of Glenn Maxwell.
But Ferguson’s first over for his new franchise was an eminently forgettable one, conceding 18 runs. The Kiwi pacer slanted one to Head’s pads and it was flicked over square leg for a six.
Ferguson tried for course correction in the next ball, going a wee bit short. But Head was up for the challenge, hoisting the ball over mid-on for a massive maximum.
In between, Abhishek, who also played a couple of fine shots, fell to Topley, an uppish flick ending in the hands of Ferguson at square leg.
But that brought together Head and Klaasen together as RCB were put under the cosh further by SRH’s second-wicket pair.
Head soon fetched his hundred with a brutally-driven boundary off pacer Vysakh Vijayakumar. However, he could not last longer as a mistimed slice off Ferguson was snaffled by a tumbling Faf du Plessis at mid-off.
But the dismissal in no way slowed down Hyderabad as Klaasen assumed the role of battering ram with ease and brought up his fifty off just 23 balls.
As is his wont, the South African was severe on spinners and clamoured the part-time left-arm spin off Mahipal Lomror for 18 runs in his only over of the night.
The carnage included a couple of big sixes in the mid-on region as SRH looked primed to go past their own record 277 which they eventually did despite Klaasen’s tame cut off Ferguson ending with Vysakh.
The landmark moment came when Aiden Markram (32, 17b) took a single off Vysakh to long-off.
Markram also added 56 runs for the unbroken fourth wicket alliance in just over three overs with Abdul Samad (37, 10b, 4×4, 3×6).
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