IPL 2024: Travis Head continues poor form against spin this season

In the recent IPL match at Wankhede Stadium, Travis Head of Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) showcased a solid performance despite his known struggles against spin bowling. Head hit an impressive 48 off 30 balls, including seven fours and a six, maintaining a strike rate of 160.00. However, his innings was cut short by veteran spinner Piyush Chawla, who caught him at deep backward square leg.

Throughout this season, Head’s challenges against spin have persisted; he has amassed 90 runs from 62 balls at an average of 18.0 and a strike rate of 145.2, getting dismissed by spinners five times. Despite these difficulties, Head remains the fourth-highest run-scorer in the current IPL edition, having scored 444 runs in 10 matches, including a century and three fifties, at an impressive average of 44.40 and a strike rate of 189.74.

The match itself saw Mumbai Indians (MI) opting to bowl first after winning the toss. Head and Abhishek Sharma opened with a 56-run stand, but SRH struggled to maintain momentum, eventually posting a total of 173/8. Contributions from Nitish Kumar Reddy and skipper Pat Cummins, who remained not out at 35, were crucial in reaching their final score.

MI’s bowling attack was spearheaded by skipper Hardik Pandya and Piyush Chawla, each taking three wickets. Jasprit Bumrah and Anshul Kamboj also contributed with a wicket each. Despite being lower on the points table, MI showcased a strong performance, underlining their need for victories to improve their standings.