IPL 2024: “Excited to see Abhishek-Head,” says Pat Cummins

After securing a convincing 67-run victory over Delhi Capitals (DC) in the Indian Premier League (IPL), Sunrisers Hyderabad’s (SRH) captain Pat Cummins commented on the recent trend of high scores against bowlers in T20 cricket.

In a game that witnessed SRH posting a massive total of 266/7, thanks to explosive innings by Travis Head and Abhishek Sharma, the team demonstrated formidable batting strength, marking their third total exceeding 250 this season.

Post-match, Cummins reflected on the conditions and the bowling strategy. “Good record here, another great game of cricket. We need to keep that going. There was not much for the bowlers in the powerplay. It got better for the bowlers when the ball got softer. We were very excited to see them (Head and Abhishek) batting, but we had to bowl in the second half as well. We were really disciplined with the ball; the bowlers executed their plans,” he stated during the post-match presentation.

SRH’s opening duo, Head and Abhishek, put on a dazzling display of power-hitting, combining for a quick 131 runs in just 6.2 overs. Head’s aggressive 89 off 32 balls and Abhishek’s rapid 46 off 12 balls set a robust foundation. Contributions from Shahbaz Ahmed (59* off 29) and Nitish Kumar (37 off 27) further bolstered the innings, guiding SRH to their formidable total. Despite DC’s attempts to chase down the massive target, highlighted by Jake Fraser McGurk and Abhishek Porel’s efforts, SRH’s disciplined bowling, especially T Natarjan’s four-wicket haul, kept the Capitals at bay.