Australia’s Travis Head achieved an impressive 89 off 32 balls, leading the Sunrisers Hyderabad to another significant IPL total in a decisive 67-run victory over the Delhi Capitals on Saturday.
Hyderabad has twice set records this season with IPL totals of 277 and 287, and on this occasion, they demonstrated their ability to breach the mark once again at Delhi’s Arun Jaitley Stadium.
Delhi captain Rishabh Pant won the toss and elected to bat first on a pitch that was conducive to batting. This decision proved to be a strategic error, as the team was ultimately dismissed for 199 runs in 19.1 overs. The bowling performance was particularly impressive, with left-arm quick T Natarajan returning figures of 4-19.
Hyderabad's performance resulted in a jump to second place in the standings, behind the Rajasthan Royals, with five wins in seven matches.
Head was instrumental in the team's success, scoring a 16-ball 50 in an opening stand with fellow left-hander Abhishek Sharma. This contributed to a strong performance against the opposition, resulting in Hyderabad reaching 100 in five overs and 125 in six.
In a remarkable display of power-hitting, Head and Sharma collectively hit 12 sixes between them. This equalled a joint IPL record of 22 hits over the fence. Furthermore, Hyderabad matched their previous match performance, when they smashed 287-3 in a win over the Royal Challengers Bengaluru earlier this week.
Kuldeep Yadav, a left-arm wrist spinner, accounted for two wickets in the seventh over, sending back Sharma (46 off 12 balls) and then Aiden Markram (one). Hyderabad then lost two wickets in the space of two deliveries after Kuldeep dismissed Head and fellow spinner Axar Patel bowled Heinrich Klaasen (15) at the start of the next over.
Shahbaz Ahmed then stabilized the innings and maintained the offensive pressure, scoring an unbeaten 59 off 29 balls. Ahmed, a left-handed batter, contributed 67 runs with Nitish Kumar Reddy, who made 37, before Kuldeep dismissed Reddy, finishing with four wickets.
In the final over, Hyderabad lost two wickets, including captain Pat Cummins, as he was run out. However, Ahmed reached his first IPL fifty with a four and ended the innings with a six.
Washington Sundar came in as the impact player in place of Head, as Hyderabad added a spinner to defend the total.
Sundar commenced the bowling and was hit for four consecutive boundaries by Prithvi Shaw, who was Delhi’s impact player. He was able to gain revenge on the fifth when he dismissed the opener for 16.
David Warner was dismissed by Bhuvneshwar Kumar for one before the up-and-coming Australian batsman Jake Fraser-McGurk hit an 18-ball 65 and contributed 84 runs with Abhishek Porel, who hit 42.
Leg-spinner Mayank Markande dismissed the two batsmen, and the rest of the batting lineup failed to meet the challenge, despite Rishabh Pant’s 44 runs.