Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) defeated Punjab Kings (PBKS) in their IPL 2025 clash by pulling off a brilliant run chase, but there were sprinkles of typical Australian sledging and banter in between, as SRH opener Travis Head and PBKS all-rounders Glenn Maxwell and Marcus Stoinis clashed on the pitch. There seemed to be an exchange of words between Head and Maxwell at the end of the ninth over, and Stoinis quickly joined in before the umpire came in to separate them. However, it all seemed to be a bit of banter.
Head spoke about the interaction with Maxwell and Stoinis at the post-match presentation ceremony.
“You bring out the best and the worst in each other when you know them so well, nothing too serious, just a bit of banter,” Head said, speaking on the exchange.
Watch: Travis Head’s war of words with Glenn Maxwell and Marcus Stonis
Aussie mentality pic.twitter.com/WUpcuUObZC
— flick (@onlykohly) April 12, 2025
Sunrisers Hyderabad vs Punjab Kings, IPL 2025: As it happened
Travis Head watched on from the other end as his SRH opening partner Abhishek Sharma unleashed one of the greatest knocks in IPL history.
In a match that will long be etched in the annals of the Indian Premier League (IPL) history, Sunrisers Hyderabad pulled off the second-highest successful run chase in the league’s history, chasing down a mammoth 246 against Punjab Kings with eight wickets in hand, at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium on Saturday.
The architects of this record-shattering win were Abhishek Sharma, who slammed a career-best 141 off 55 balls, and the ever-dependable Head, whose calculated aggression complemented the fire and flair at the other end. The encounter between SRH and PBKS had promised fireworks, but few could have predicted the sheer scale of the pyrotechnics that would follow.
After being sent in to bat, Punjab Kings posted an imposing 245/6, powered by Shreyas Iyer‘s commanding 82 and a blistering finish from Marcus Stoinis, who thumped four consecutive sixes in the final over to end unbeaten on 34 off just 11 balls. The pitch had regained its batting-friendly character after a brief flirtation with turn during the previous game against the Gujarat Titans. And it was evident from the very first over of the second innings that this was not a surface where bowlers would have their say.
The SRH opening pair of Abhishek and Head charged out with intent, though Prabhsimran Singh‘s early boundaries in the first innings set the tone for an evening of brutality with the bat. But what followed in SRH’s chase was nothing short of remarkable.
Abhishek, who hadn’t hit a six in the tournament before this match, opened his account in stunning fashion. Facing Marco Jansen, he launched into three successive boundaries and followed it up with an effortless six off Yash Thakur – a shot that was soon accompanied by a stroke of fortune as he was caught off a no-ball and then dispatched the free hit into the stands. The aggression was unrelenting.
Head, meanwhile, played the role of the ice to Abhishek’s fire. While Abhishek flicked, pulled, and whipped deliveries over the ropes with nonchalance, Head anchored from the other end, picking gaps, rotating the strike, and occasionally punishing the errant deliveries. The duo brought up their 100 partnership before the halfway mark, and by the time Head departed for a fluent 66, the match had already tilted heavily in Hyderabad’s favour.
With IANS inputs
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