Head destroys Archer as SRH torch the powerplay
It took one over for the tone of the IPL 2025 opener in Hyderabad to flip from loud to deafening. The moment Travis Head lined up Jofra Archer’s first set of deliveries, the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium felt small. Four boundaries and a monster 106-meter hit into the stands turned Archer’s first over into a 23-run burst, the kind that shakes a fielding side and supercharges a batting unit already committed to going hard.
SunRisers Hyderabad didn’t stumble into this approach. They’ve built it. Last season, under Pat Cummins and Daniel Vettori, SRH rewired their identity around extreme intent in the first six. They even set the all-time IPL powerplay record at 125/0 in 2024. Tonight looked like a sequel. Head and Abhishek Sharma flew out with 45 off just 18 balls, forcing Rajasthan Royals into early changes and defensive fields. When Abhishek miscued to Maheesh Theekshana in the fourth over, the pace didn’t dip. It spiked.
Enter Ishan Kishan, a new SRH recruit from Mumbai. Left-handers at both ends usually let captains pack the off side; here it didn’t matter. Kishan ran hard, picked gaps early, and then backed Head’s tempo with clean through-the-line hitting. By the time the sixth over closed, SRH had roared to 94 in the powerplay—among their best-ever starts in the league and a fresh warning shot to anyone who hoped 2024 was a one-off.
The centerpiece remained that Archer over. Brought on as first change with SRH already 55 in four overs, he tried pace-on hard lengths and the short ball as a surprise. Head leaned on the pick-up pull, then drove on the up, then ramped the angle behind point. When Archer went wider to close the off side, Head reached and carved him anyway. The one blow everyone will remember, though, was the towering six that sailed deep and stayed gone—measured at 106 meters, a clean strike that had even the home fans wearing a stunned grin.
Archer’s night didn’t get kinder. Head, and later Kishan, Nitish Kumar Reddy, and Heinrich Klaasen, kept targeting him—square boundaries, straight hits, and fast hands through the line. The figures tell the story: 0 for 76 in four overs, a new low-water mark for an IPL spell. For a fast bowler returning to his old franchise after a late run into the auction and a reworked ECB deal, this was a harsh reintroduction. But it also said plenty about conditions and SRH’s method.
Hyderabad was true and quick. The white ball skidded, and the square boundaries tempted. This ground hosted the highest IPL total last year, and the template hasn’t aged. If you miss even slightly at the death of a length, you’re punished; if you over-correct full, the modern bats are too good. Archer wasn’t alone in feeling it. Theekshana’s early success came from pace-off and dip, but as the ball lost grip and the batters settled, the safer option looked like hitting a length you trust and living with the result. SRH, crucially, make that tolerance for risk look normal.
Head’s success against pace in the powerplay is no mystery anymore. In IPL 2024 he blitzed attacks with a strike rate north of 200 in the first six and finished the season at 191 overall. The blueprint is simple and hard to execute against: back away late, open up the off side, and then be ready to stand tall and hit straight when the bowler follows. When he nails the timing early, field settings lose meaning. Tonight, Archer’s 145-plus speed only seemed to help the ball travel faster off the bat.
For Rajasthan, the question isn’t one bad over. It’s how they shape a plan when a lineup like SRH doesn’t blink. Can they pair Archer with a new-ball partner who drags the tempo down? Do they front-load spin for two overs inside the powerplay? Theekshana’s dismissal of Abhishek was a hint, but it wasn’t a sustained pattern. If they stick with Archer as first change, can they stack the leg side and hammer the back-of-a-length channel into the hip to take the lofted off-side carve out of play? These are adjustments, not fixes, but they matter when a side is bleeding 90-plus in six.
SRH’s template evolves; RR face early questions
SRH didn’t just carry last season’s mojo; they added depth. Kishan gives them a second gear after the openers, plus a left-hand angle that keeps match-ups messy for captains. Nitish Kumar Reddy’s rise in 2024 already hinted at a middle-order that can clear the ropes without needing sighters. Klaasen, one of the best spin-hitters in T20, forces captains to hold back their best options and pray for timing errors. When Head starts like this, the rest of the order breathes easy.
A quick reminder of how they got here: SRH went all-in on attack in 2024, set record powerplays, and still learned the hard way in a lopsided final. The lesson wasn’t to slow down; it was to add layers. Tonight’s start suggested they’ve done that. Even after a wicket in the fourth over, they didn’t go into shell mode. Kishan’s entry allowed Head to keep swinging at his zones. The result—94 after six—sits comfortably alongside their top powerplays from last year and will be a line in every analyst’s pre-match report when facing SRH this season.
For Archer, it’s a rebuild. He’s coming off stop-start years with injuries, changes in workload, and a rebalanced central contract. He’ll know one night doesn’t define a season, but 0/76 will sting. The next step is tactical: go fuller into the stumps with a deep square and third; mix in cutters if the pitch grips later in games; or take the new ball for movement while it lasts. He’s done it before in the IPL. The pace is there. The rhythm will follow once the lines do.
RR also have some selection puzzles. If they want Archer’s pace as a middle-overs weapon, they might need a left-arm angle or a skiddy seamer up front to deny width. Spin in the powerplay is an option, but it needs catchers in the ring and courage to accept the odd six. The margin for error against this SRH top four is tiny. Tonight showed what happens when you miss, even by a fraction.
Key numbers from the night:
- SRH powerplay: 94 runs — among their top three in franchise history.
- Head vs Archer, one over: 23 runs, including a 106-meter six.
- Opening burst: Head and Abhishek 45 off 18 balls.
- Archer’s spell: 0/76 in 4 overs — the most expensive in an IPL match.
This wasn’t a freak show. It was a statement that the league’s most aggressive batting unit is still on brand, maybe sharper. And it was a reminder that even elite quicks need tight plans and perfect execution in Hyderabad. One bad over can become a headline. Tonight, it changed the whole opening act.
