‘Nothing too serious, just a bit of banter’: Travis Head on his verbal spat with Glenn Maxwell and Marcus Stoinis

HYDERBAD: After the completion of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 encounter against Punjab Kings (PBKS), Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) opener Travis Head opened up and shared his thoughts on the verbal spat between him and Glenn Maxwell and Marcus Stoinis during the ninth over of the 27th fixture of the ongoing 18th edition of the cash-rich league.

During the ninth over of the innings, Glenn Maxwell was brought into the attack. On the third and fourth deliveries of the over, Head slammed two consecutive sixes off Maxwell, which frustrated him.

After the two sixes, Maxwell exchanged a few words with the Hyderabad opener. After the completion of the over, Head walked up to Maxwell and responded, sparking a heated verbal exchange between the two. The situation escalated until the on-field umpire stepped in to finish the spat. Soon after, Marcus Stoinis, fellow Australian and Punjab Kings all-rounder, joined in and was seen engaging in a fresh argument with Head.

Speaking at the post-match presentation on the verbal exchange, the 31-year-old player said, “You bring out the best and the worst in each other when you know them so well, nothing too serious, just a bit of banter.”

“Not bad, nice to get on the winners list. It was an exceptional night; we needed it. We had our work cut out at the halfway point. We gave ourselves a chance, showed a bit more patience at the start. We knew the plans they were going to come with. Gave ourselves a bit more time and got off to a flyer. We did the things we did really well last year, and that’s what made us such a good partnership. It’s just about encouraging each other, picking our targets and setting the stage. We’ve seen 270-280 scored on that wicket. We’ve played on slightly different wickets, but no.2 seems to put out big scores. Everything had to go right for us to chase down 240,” the Australian batter added.

Coming to the match, PBKS won the toss and elected to bat first. A 66-run stand between Priyansh Arya (36 in 13 balls, with two fours and four sixes) and Prabhsimran Singh (42 in 23 balls, with seven fours and a six) started off things well for PBKS. Later, a half-century from skipper Shreyas Iyer (82 in 36 balls, with six fours and six sixes) and a final flourish from Marcus Stoinis (34* in 11 balls, with a four and four sixes) powered PBKS to 245/6 in their 20 overs.

Harshal Patel (4/42) and Eshan Malinga (2/45) were among the wicket-takers for SRH.

In the run-chase of 246 runs, Abhishek (141 in 55 balls, with 14 fours and 10 sixes) and Travis Head (66 in 37 balls, with nine fours and three sixes) started off well with a 171-run partnership. After Head was dismissed, Abhishek continued to rage while Heinrich Klaasen (21*) and Ishan Kishan (9*) put some finishing touches, chasing down the mammoth total.

This is also the second-highest run chase in IPL history, with 262 chased by PBKS against defending champions Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) last year being at the top. SRH has risen to the eighth spot with two wins and four losses while PBKS is at sixth place, with three wins and two losses. (ANI)