As if awaiting a storm they knew must come, IPL sides were bracing themselves for Travis 'Hurricane' Head to blow up a storm in this 2026 campaign -- and it was luckless Mumbai Indians who've ended up feeling the force.
The Australian had been nowhere near gale force for Sunrisers Hyderabad this season, puffing along without a 50 to his name in eight knocks.
Yet presented with a monumental chase on Wednesday at Mumbai's Wankhede Stadium, he simply blew the house down.
Needing to surpass 5-243 after the home side had been ignited by Ryan Rickelton's record-breaking 123no, Sunrisers needed a special start from their 'Travishek' opening combo of Head and Abhishek Sharma to pull off the biggest ever IPL run chase at the celebrated venue.
Head delivered, pummelling 76 off just 30 deliveries, featuring eight sixes and four fours, while putting on 129 with Abhishek (45) in 8.4 overs of sheer mayhem.
It was pretty madcap, with Head getting dropped three times by the same hapless figure, Naman Dhir -- all of them, in fairness, more like half-chances -- and even getting out to a caught-behind that nobody appealed for amid the din in the stadium.
The luckless Dhir tumbled on to the ropes just when he thought he'd finally snared Head on the boundary edge. Instead, the fortune-blessed Aussie was able to celebrate his 50 off 20 balls, with six signalled instead.
Head also hit the world's best bowler Jasprit Bumrah for a straight six that flew 99 metres, putting together such dazzling fare that the home fans quickly forgot how they'd earlier watched South African Rickelton hit the fastest century in Mumbai Indians annals in just 44 balls.
Pat Cummins (0-39), who'd done his captain's bit for Sunrisers by producing one over near the death that went for just six with Rickelton in full cry, could hardly credit what he was watching as Heinrich Klaasen (65no off 30) capitalised on the 'Head start' to guide Sunrisers to their target on 4-249 with eight balls to spare.
"I definitely thought it was chaseable," smiled Australia's Test skipper. "When the pitch is good and the way they play, they've got so many different shots, I'm glad I'm not bowling out there - they look pretty scary.
"You've got to be realistic now. It's different to what it was five years ago in the IPL Two hundred used to be a tough chase; now even 12 an over, you feel like you can chase. You've just got to reset your expectations as a bowling group."
The win, the second in a row for Cummins since his return to the IPL, meant his side move one place up to third on the points table, looking well set for one of the four qualifying playoff spots.
