Head, Abhishek and Shahbaz power SRH to 266
The openers smash 125 in the PowerPlay, the highest in T20 history; this is the Hyderabad side’s third 250-plus total of the season and the fourth-highest tally in the League
Sunrisers Hyderabad’s opening pair of left-handers continued to thrive and smash records in the 17th edition of the IPL. Such was the sensational strokeplay of Travis Head and Abhishek Sharma, the PowerPlay fetched a whopping 125 — the highest in the rst six overs in T20 history. The visiting side amassed 266 for seven against Delhi Capitals, playing at home for the rst time this season.
It was Sunrisers’ third 250-plus total of the season and also the fourth highest tally in the IPL. Despite spin twins Kuldeep Yadav and Axar Patel pulling things back immediately after the PowerPlay, the damage had been done.
Head blew hot from the word go. He missed a heave o Khaleel Ahmed’s rst delivery but once he connected the next which sailed into the stands, the Capitals players were left fetching the ball from outside the boundary ropes.
While Head stormed to his fty in the third over, o just 14 balls, Abhishek made the most of the strike that came his way by going after Kuldeep, who was introduced in the fth over.
The PowerPlay overs saw Head and Abhishek hit 13 fours and 11 sixes and Capitals could bowl just ve dot balls. While the openers demolished the bowlers with their range-hitting, they were helped by freebies from o-spinner Lalit Yadav, who was employed for two overs at the beginning of the innings. With Head in the hunt for the quickest IPL hundred,
Abhishek was one hit short of the quickest half-century in the league. But Kuldeep forced the latter into an error and had him caught at cover. That triggered a mini-collapse as
Kuldeep and Axar combined to pick up four wickets in 18 balls, including that of Head (caught by Tristan Stubbs at long-on o Kuldeep) and Heinrich Klaasen (bowled o a fuller one from Axar). Nitish Kumar Reddy and Shahbaz Ahmed rebuilt the innings before the latter nished with a urry of hits to pilot Sunrisers to a massive total.