Why is Travis Head Not in SRH Playing XI for IPL 2025 Clash Against KKR?

Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) opener Travis Head is absent from the team’s playing XI for their Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 match against Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR). It is taking place at Kolkata’s Eden Gardens. The Australian has played all three of the previous matches for Sunrisers Hyderabad.

Why Travis Head Is Not In Playing XI For KKR vs SRH

Sunrisers Hyderabad’s Travis Head has made way for Sri Lanka’s Kamindu Mendis, who is making his IPL debut against Kolkata Knight Riders.

While Head doesn’t feature in the Sunrisers Hyderabad playing XI, he is one of the Impact Player substitutes for Thursday’s game. In the three IPL matches so far this season, Head has registered scores of 67 (vs Rajasthan Royals), 47 (vs Lucknow Super Giants), and 22 (vs Delhi Capitals), aggregating for 136 runs at a strike-rate of 191.55.

The 31-year-old was part of the Sunrisers Hyderabad squad, which reached the final of IPL 2024. The Pat Cummins-led side, however, lost to Kolkata Knight Riders by eight wickets in the summit clash that took place in Chennai. Head had an excellent season with the bat, amassing 567 runs from 15 matches at a strike-rate of 191.55.

This includes one century and four half-centuries. THead was a crucial batter for Sunrisers Hyderabad in IPL 2024, regularly forging big partnerships with fellow opener Abhishek Sharma.

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Kamindu Mendis IPL Debut

Kamindu Mendis, on the other hand, has never played in the IPL before. The batting all-rounder was acquired by Sunrisers Hyderabad for INR 75 lakh at the IPL 2025 mega auction. The 26-year-old was adjudged the ICC Emerging Player of the Year award in 2024. To date, Mendis has played 23 T20Is for Sri Lanka and has scored 381 runs, including two fifties.

SRH’s Shaky Start To The Season

Sunrisers Hyderabad have endured a shaky start to the IPL 2025 season. They defeated Rajasthan Royals (RR) by 44 runs in their first match before going down to Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) by five wickets. Delhi Capitals (DC) defeated Sunrisers Hyderabad by seven wickets in their third game.

Sunrisers Hyderabad are currently in eighth place in the IPL standings with two points from three matches.

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