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Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) bought Travis Head for ₹6.8 crore after a bidding war with Chennai Super Kings (CSK) at the IPL 2024 auction in Dubai on Tuesday, December 19. The Australian opener had slotted himself for a base price of ₹2 crore.
The development comes weeks after Travis Head played a match-winning knock against India in the 2023 World Cup final. The left-handed batter smashed 137 runs off 120 balls, including four sixes and 15 boundaries. He finished the marquee ICC tournament with 329 in six games, including two tons and one half-century.
The Aussie opener had also slammed 163 off 174 deliveries against India in the 2023 World Test Championship final earlier this year.
In T20Is, Head has amassed 2494 runs in 107 games at a strike rate of 134.15, including one century and 10 fifties. The part-time off-spinner has also scalped 22 wickets at an economy rate of 8.45, with best figures of 3/16. The 29-year-old made 94 runs in three matches at a strike rate of 180.76 during the recently concluded T20I series against India.
Head has previously played for Delhi Capitals (2015) and Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) (2016-17). He scored 205 runs in 10 matches for RCB at a strike rate of 138.51, including a solitary half-century.
Fans on X (formerly Twitter) came up with mixed reactions to SRH's acquisition of Travis Head. One user wrote:
“Travis Head is young for CSK”
Here are some more reactions:
“He might get a rather large IPL contract” – Michael Vaughan's prediction for Travis Head comes true
Former England captain Michael Vaughan recently said that Travis Head will be one of the costliest picks at the IPL 2024 auction. He wrote in his column for the Sydney Morning Herald:
“I am not sure what exactly he has done, but he is a great example to all cricketers that there is room for improvement. Years ago, there was potential, but he wasn’t consistently dangerous.
"His method now is the blueprint for sustained aggression, and how to dictate terms. My guess is that he might get a rather large IPL contract – and he should.”
Follow the IPL 2024 auction live updates here.
