Starc vs Head: Who will win battle of powerplay? Ex-SRH head coach expects ‘business as usual’ in IPL 2024 final

The former SRH head coach feels Abhishek Sharma and Travis Head will 'go hard at the KKR attack' in the IPL 2024 final.

Veteran Australian pacer Mitchell Starc handed Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) three early blows to set up a comfortable win for Shreyas Iyer’s Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024 playoffs. The powerplay bowling masterclass paved the way for Gautam Gambhir-mentored Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) as the former champions became the first team to enter the IPL 2024 final. Australia's World Cup-winning pacer also won the powerplay battle against SRH opener Travis Head in Qualifier 1.

Kolkata Knight Riders' Mitchell Starc, second right, celebrates with teammates after the dismissal of Sunrisers Hyderabad's Travis Head(AP)

After recording a two-ball duck in Qualifier 1 against KKR, Head will be eager to make amends in the summit clash of the cash-rich league. The KKR speedster bowled Head for a duck in their first meeting in a T20 contest. Starc-starrer KKR side has picked up 47 wickets in their last five completed games. No team has taken more wickets than KKR (in five completed games) in the history of the IPL.

‘Travis Head will be more cautious against Mitchell Starc’

Speaking to ESPNCricinfo in the lead-up to the IPL 2024, former SRH head coach Tom Moody said that Head will be cautious against Starc after his batting failure in the IPL 2024 playoffs. "I think Travis Head will be a little bit more cautious against Mitchell Starc. I think there has been a strong enough pattern in how he has got out in a very similar way. I think he may slightly adjust to how he looks at the first over. But outside of that, I think it will be business as usual," Moody said.

'Abhishek Sharma and Head will go hard at the KKR attack'

Head is the fourth-highest run-getter at the IPL 2024. The SRH opener has smashed 567 runs at a strike rate of 192.2 this season. Head has scored the most runs in the powerplay at the IPL 2024. The SRH opener was the Player of the Match in the ICC World Test Championship final and the ICC World Cup 2023 final. "Both Abhishek Sharma and Travis Head will go hard at the KKR attack. I think the more interesting part of the game will come when the spinners come into play and how they deal with it," Moody added.