Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) opener Travis Head commended teammate Abhishek Sharma as 'one of the best' spin hitters he has ever seen following their victory over the Mumbai Indians (MI) on April 30. The pair's opening partnership was instrumental in the win, highlighting Head's return to form with a rapid 76 off 30 balls, including four boundaries and eight sixes, which effectively ended the 244-run chase during the powerplay.
Abhishek Sharma contributed 45 runs from 24 balls, featuring four boundaries and three sixes, as part of a 129-run opening stand. Head told ‘Match Centre Live’ that he prefers to give Abhishek the strike against spin bowling and praised his ability: “I know that if spin comes on, I just give him the strike. I probably have not played with a better spin-hitting batter ever. I think he is one of the best I have ever seen in terms of ball-striking against spin. I know in the Powerplay, we saw again in this game that teams have started to go off pace against us. So, it is about getting him on strike and watching him go about his work. He puts teams under immense pressure. It is a great partnership; we do not have to talk too much.”
Abhishek currently leads the tournament’s Orange Cap with 425 runs in nine innings at an average of 53.12 and a strike rate of 209.35, including one century and three fifties. After struggling against spin bowling in the T20 World Cup, he has since averaged 57.3 with a strike rate exceeding 235 against spin in six innings.
Reflecting on his resurgence after early tournament difficulties, Head stated, “It is nice to contribute. Two wins on the road are obviously really important as well. It’s not often you win five games in a row in the IPL. So, we’re in a good space. It is a hard competition to be in. When it is your night, it is your night. You are not expected to score runs every game and win games every time. If you can win two or three games in this competition by yourself, you go a long way towards getting seven to eight wins and playing in the Playoffs. Abhi (Abhishek Sharma) has done that a couple of times, Ishan and Klaasen have been incredible, and our bowlers have been good.”
Head has amassed 262 runs in nine innings at an average of 29.11 with a strike rate of 163.75 this season, including one half-century.
In the match, Mumbai Indians chose to bat first. Will Jacks scored 46 runs off 22 balls, including five fours and three sixes, forming an explosive 93-run partnership with Ryan Rickelton. Rickelton carried his bat, scoring an unbeaten 123 from 55 balls with ten fours and eight sixes, marking the fastest IPL century for MI. Valuable partnerships with Naman Dhir (22 runs from 17 balls) and Indian captain Hardik Pandya (31 from 15 balls) helped MI post a total of 243 for five. Praful Hinge (2/54) and Eshan Malinga (1/29) were the leading bowlers for SRH.
During the chase, despite a mid-innings wobble to 133 for three in 9.4 overs due to bowling from Allah Ghazanfar (2/51) and Hardik Pandya (1/39), SRH comfortably reached their target with six wickets and eight balls to spare. Heinrich Klaasen anchored the innings with an unbeaten 65 from 30 balls, featuring seven fours and four sixes, while Nitish Kumar Reddy contributed 21 runs from 17 balls. Salil Arora provided a quick fire cameo of 30 not out from 10 balls.
This win marked SRH’s sixth victory in nine matches, securing their position third in the table with 12 points. Mumbai Indians remain ninth and require victories in their remaining fixtures to remain in contention for the playoffs.