IPL 2024 | Sunrisers throw up template for T20 batting

Two-thirds of the way into the league phase of the tournament, this edition of the IPL has already been one of plenty. Plenty of fours and sixes. Plenty of totals in excess of 200. Plenty of joy for the willow-wielders. And plenty of agony and anguish for the hapless bowlers who have been reduced to bowling machines, serfs who are only there to do the power-packed batters’ bidding.

Among those wreaking the most havoc is the batting group from Sunrisers Hyderabad. The 2016 champion has been the talk of the cricketing world, defeats in its last two encounters notwithstanding. Twice this season, SRH has broken the record for the highest total in IPL history, backing up 277 for three against Mumbai Indians at home with 287 for three against Royal Challengers Bengaluru at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium. Its unfettered approach to the Powerplay has subsequently found resonance in other teams; only the other night, Punjab Kings mounted the highest successful chase in the IPL, against Kolkata Knight Riders, sending out a strong message that there is no such thing as a ‘safe’ score any longer.

There is much to admire in the manner in which SRH has gone about its business. It already had a strong batting core, but the acquisition in the December auction of Travis Head, the explosive Australian opener, has lent a whole new dynamic. Head may not be the most appealing aesthetically, but what he lacks in grace and elegance, he more than makes up for with his ferocious onslaughts based on unmatched hand-eye coordination and a comprehensive understanding of what his strengths — and his limitations — are.

In a way, SRH was compelled to recalibrate its approach following a disastrous 2023 season which it finished at the bottom of the pile. Despite the resources at its command, it was timid and hesitant with the bat, and in a format where the bat is the one that rules the roost, that was a guaranteed recipe for disaster. Stung by its last-place finish, the ownership group rang in the changes. Out went West Indian legend Brian Lara, who was replaced as head coach by Daniel Vettori. With the call to divest Aiden Markram of the captaincy, SRH identified Pat Cummins, Australia’s undisputed leader, as best suited to helm their campaign. SRH pursued the quick with single-minded zeal at the auction, dishing out ₹20.50 crore to secure his services. Against that backdrop, Head was a steal at ₹6.8 crore. That it is money well spent is all too obvious.

Brutal batting tree

SRH isn’t all about Head alone, of course. The devastating left-hander sits atop a brutal batting tree with Abhishek Sharma, his opening partner, and South African stumper Heinrich Klaasen as equal contributors to the carnage that hasn’t spared any bowler. The franchise has invested hugely in Abhishek over the years and the young left-hander is finally beginning to repay the faith, while Klaasen’s class — pardon the pun — has seldom been in doubt. He, more than anyone else, has ensured that the exceptional starts provided by the fearless Head-Abhishek combine haven’t gone to waste.

There was a time when teams targeted conservative PowerPlays. They constructed their innings around keeping wickets in hand and teeing off in the last quarter, an approach that doesn’t always pay off. SRH has radically transformed thought processes by going hard at the bowling from the get-go. The profusion of batting riches — the impressive Nitish Kumar Reddy has been the find of the season, Abdul Samad has embraced greater consistency in his role as finisher and Shahbaz Ahmed has come into his own — as well as the introduction of the Impact Player has allowed it to keep going hard even if a couple of wickets tumble in quick succession. The onus is no longer on beginning quietly and finishing in a frenzy; SRH has treated every over as a PowerPlay over, with spectacular results.

This approach comes with its attendant risks, needless to say. There will be days — or is it nights? — when the implosion will be dramatic and decisive, like against Royal Challengers Bengaluru last week. Chasing 207 for victory at home, SRH stumbled to 56 for four after five overs, its reply in a shambles with its big guns silenced. Even so, there was not even a token effort to bat out the overs, no overt bid to reduce the margin of defeat with an eye on the net run rate. Such mundane thinking has gone out the window.

Even when staring a huge loss in the face, SRH kept attacking, Cummins briefly raising visions of an unexpected victory. It eventually recovered to finish on 171 for eight, beaten by 35 runs. ‘A matter of six deliveries,’ is how they described their abortive chase. So simple, perhaps too much so, some might say, but how can you argue with a side that has smashed 112 sixes in nine matches to date?

Head has walked away with all the accolades, which is perhaps understandable because he is a celebrated international star who boasts hundreds in the final of the World Test Championship and the 50-over World Cup, both against India. His franchise-high 338 runs have come at an average of 42.25 and a humongous strike-rate of 211.25. He has unleashed 40 fours and 19 sixes; in effect, he has hit a boundary every 2.7 balls. Those are exceptional stats.

Perfect partner

But Abhishek hardly suffers in comparison. With 303 runs to his name, he is his team’s second highest scorer. Remarkably, his strike-rate of 214.89 is more than three higher than Head’s. He has hit a boundary every 2.8 balls, and while his four-count (22) is nearly half of Head’s, he has hammered a whopping 27 sixes. It’s no wonder then that, against Delhi Capitals, SRH ended the PowerPlay at 125 without loss, the most runs ever in the first six overs of a T20 game.

Then, there is Klaasen – 295 runs, strike-rate 185.53, just nine fours but an extraordinary 28 sixes. Admittedly, some of the grounds at this year’s IPL, like at every year’s IPL, haven’t been the largest, but the distance these sixes have travelled would lead one to believe that no matter where, they would still have been sixes. That’s an offshoot of the prep that goes in behind the scenes. There is a concerted attempt to smite the ball longer and harder, with range-hitting a fearsome, awe-inspiring and intimidating experience on the eve of a match.

The key to being a T20 destroyer is shedding the fear of getting out. That goes against the basic grain of batsmanship. Even in this world of instant gratification and the overwhelming desire to get into franchise cricket – playing for the country isn’t quite the ultimate aim, as it used to be in a more relaxed era – young kids are taught to put a price on their wicket in their formative years. To therefore bat with freedom, and without the attendant fear of being dismissed to a ‘poor’ stroke, calls for an equanimity and a mindset that can and must overlook the consequences of getting out. It’s not as if SRH is the first team to introduce this concept, but no one has espoused it more stridently and consistently than the Cummins-inspired outfit that still has plenty of runs, and sixes, in it.

While SRH have been extraordinary front-runners, they haven’t quite mastered the art of chasing yet. Three of their four losses have come when they have batted second, and they have chased successfully just once, which might point to a soft underbelly that other sides would have taken note of. That’s an area of concern, no matter what spin the team management might seek to put on it, but one can rest assured that it will be addressed post-haste, if it already hasn’t been.

Is SRH’s approach capable of being emulated? Can they be the trend-setters, the trailblazers that can inspire others to follow suit? On the evidence of IPL 2024, most certainly. SRH have redefined the art of run-making, especially while batting first, in the 20-over format but for others – franchises and international teams – to follow suit will require not just a change in mindset but also bringing together resources that can facilitate that methodology. It’s easier, if that’s the right word, to piece a franchise team together because one can draw from so many options, from so many countries. To assemble a national side in like fashion will be a more daunting and trying exercise, with the added rider that the Impact Player hasn’t yet percolated to country versus country battle.

T20 games are no longer won and lost in the PowerPlay, but the tempo is often set in the first six overs when only two fielders are allowed outside the 30-yard circle. When the run-rate is in the 15s after six overs, it’s relatively easier to ride on that momentum, as SRH’s largely productive middle order has showcased. Abhishek and Head starts – apologies again for the horrible pun – have been integral to the fortunes of SRH, who have unveiled a style that is certain to become a T20 template.