Aussie Travis Head blows cricket world away in historic IPL insanity

Travis Head has smashed records on a night of carnage in the IPL with the Australian doing what nobody else has in the competition.

Sunrisers Hyderabad amassed 287-3 for the highest-ever Indian Premier League total and beat Royal Challengers Bengaluru by 25 runs on a night were records were obliterated.

Hyderabad, who were invited to bat first by hosts Bengaluru, went past the previous mark of 277 they made last month after a 41-ball 102 by Aussie Travis Head and Heinrich Klaasen’s explosive 67.

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The new high was the second best in a T20 match after Nepal bludgeoned 314-3 against Mongolia in last year’s Asian Games in Hangzhou.

The match produced the highest aggregate for a T20 game with a tally of 549 runs.

Virat Kohli (42) and skipper Faf du Plessis (62) gave RCB a blazing start before Dinesh Karthik smashed 83 off 35 balls as Bengaluru ended on 262-7.

Skipper Pat Cummins and spinner Mayank Markande broke the back of the Bengaluru chase with five wickets between them.

“Against Mumbai (Indians) a few weeks ago I thought it won’t happen again, but it has happened again,” Cummins said after his team’s third straight victory and fourth of the season.

Travis Head went berserk. Photo: AFP and Twitter.

Batters ruled at the M.Chinnaswamy Stadium as Hyderabad smashed the most sixes in an IPL innings, with 22 hits flying over the fence.

Head reached his ton in 39 balls for the fourth-fastest hundred in the competition as he set the tone for the assault and named man of the match.

It was also the fastest century in the history of the IPL franchise.

Chris Gayle still holds the record with a 30-ball hundred in 2013.

He put on a 108-run opening stand with Abhishek Sharma, who hit 34. Head, who was Australia’s match winner in the final of the ODI World Cup in India last year, struck nine fours and eight sixes.

After his departure Klaasen took charge with his 31-ball blitz. The South African was nearly as punishing as Head as he smashed the ball to all parts of the ground before being dismissed by Lockie Ferguson.

Fellow South African Aiden Markram (32) and Indian hitter Abdul Samad (37) put together 59 off 19 balls for the final storm.

Samad smashed England left-arm fast bowler Reece Topley for three fours and two sixes in a 25-run 19th over before he and Markram finished off with 21 runs from the final over.

The 20-over carnage concluded with four Bengaluru bowlers conceding more than 50 runs — the first time it has happened in the competition.

Travis Head celebrates. Photo by AFP.

Hyderabad posted 277-3 against Mumbai Indians at their home ground on March 27 to go past the 263-5 by Bengaluru in 2013.

Earlier this month, Kolkata Knight Riders posted 272-7 in a crushing 106-run victory over Delhi Capitals.

In-form Kohli attempted to set up the chase with a powerful start as he struck six fours and two sixes in his 20-ball knock and Du Plessis kept up the charge till his departure.

The steep run chase made wickets tumble but Karthik once again came up with a late assault to reduce the losing margin for bottom-placed Bengaluru, who slumped to their fifth straight loss.

“One thing really important is to freshen your mind, it’s such a mental game,” said Du Plessis.

“Sometimes it feels like your mind is going to explode. A little bit of (an) uphill task for us at the moment.”

— with AFP

Originally published as Aussie Travis Head blows cricket world away in historic IPL insanity