Former Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) coach Tom Moody said that SRH had a successful outing in the IPL 2024 auction and now have a wealth of options, covering all bases. Moody highlighted the team's excitement in securing Australia's World Cup hero, Travis Head, as their opening batter.
SRH invested Rs 6.80 crore to acquire Head, who had a base price of Rs 2 crore in the IPL auction 2024. The bidding for Head commenced with Sunrisers, and later, Chennai Super Kings (CSK) entered the fray.
After an intense battle between the two teams, the CSK eventually withdrew, allowing the Orange Army to secure 29-year-old services for a significant sum of Rs 6.80 crore.
Moody, speaking on Star Sports, commended SRH for a fruitful auction, expressing the franchise's delight in having Head as their opening batter.
"They have got a lot of options there. They have got a lot of match-winners. The one thing we don't know is who is going to captain his side. One thing we do know is that I heard Muttiah Muralitharan during the auction that they were thrilled to get Travis Head because they wanted him as an opener," Moody said.
Head was expected to be a prominent buy in the auction because of how well he played in the ODI World Cup 2023. After being out for a while due to injury, Head made a strong comeback by hitting a fantastic century in just 58 balls against New Zealand at the Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association (HPCA) Stadium in Dharamsala.
In the World Cup final against India, Head played a heroic role for Australia, delivering an exceptional performance by scoring 137 runs off 120 balls. This impressive inning, which featured 15 fours and four sixes, took place at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad and led Australia to their sixth ODI World Cup triumph.
After a six-year break, Head is set to make a return to the IPL. He was previously part of the Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) team, where he played 10 matches, scoring 205 runs with an average of 29.29 and a strike rate of 138.51, including one half-century.
Head has now joined the formidable overseas batting lineup of the Sunrisers, alongside players such as Aiden Markram, Heinrich Klaasen, and Glenn Phillips.
(Powered by AI, Inputs by India Today)
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