Delhi: Travis Head and Abhishek Sharma etched Sunrisers Hyderabad’s name into history books as the 2016 champions recorded the highest-ever powerplay score in the Indian Premier League (IPL) on Saturday against Delhi Capitals at the Feroz Shah Kotla. Sent into bat first, Head started exactly from where he left in the previous game against Royal Challengers Bengaluru as the Australian opener smashed a 16-ball fifty. It was also the joint-fastest for an SRH batter. With 13 fours and 11 sixes by Head and Sharma combined, SRH raced away to 125/0 in the first six overs to achieve the milestone.
The second-highest on the list was Kolkata Knight Riders’ 105/0 against RCB in 2017. Taking advantage of the flat surface, SRH crossed the century mark in just five overs, also the quickest in the history of T20 cricket. It was South African men who had held that record previously when they scored 100 in just 5.3 overs against West Indies last year. While Head went bonkers at one end, Sharma also dispatched Delhi Capitals bowlers for 46 runs off just 12 balls before Kuldeep Yadav got rid of him.
For the unknown, SRH had broken the record for highest team total in IPL twice, that too in the ongoing edition. They broke RCB’s 11-year-old record to put up 277/3 against Mumbai Indians before surpassing their own highest total to put 287/3 against RCB, thanks to Head’s maiden IPL hundred. No team has ever scored 300 in franchise cricket. The only time a men’s side scored in excess of 300 runs in T20 cricket was Nepal when thet scored 314 against Mongolia at Asian Games last year.
However, unlike the game against RCB, Head couldn’t convert his blazing start into a three-figure as he fell victim to Yadav. Looking to heave the ball over long-on, Head didn’t get the elevation as was caught by a running Tristan Stubbs.