As the excitement builds for the upcoming Indian Premier League (IPL) set to commence on March 28, only the first 20 matches’ schedule has been released due to state elections. In anticipation of the season, former Indian cricketer Cheteshwar Pujara has singled out Abhishek Sharma and Travis Head from Sunrisers Hyderabad as the most fearsome opening duo in IPL history.
“In recent seasons, the performances of Sunrisers Hyderabad’s openers, Abhishek Sharma and Travis Head, have been nothing short of explosive. I can confidently state that they rank among the most destructive opening pairs ever seen in the IPL,” Pujara remarked. He noted that SRH has frequently surpassed the 250-run mark, a feat that other teams have struggled to achieve consistently.
“Both players are aggressive from the very first ball. Thanks to their exceptional batting, SRH has repeatedly crossed the 250-run threshold in the past few seasons, a record that no other IPL team can match,” he added.
Pujara went on to assert that the combination of Abhishek and Head poses a greater threat than the renowned duo of Virat Kohli and Chris Gayle from Royal Challengers Bengaluru.
“When discussing aggressive opening partnerships in the IPL, the names Chris Gayle and Virat Kohli come to mind. However, I believe that the partnership of Head and Abhishek is even more lethal. Bowlers dread facing an opening pair like them,” the 38-year-old former cricketer concluded.
The IPL 2026 season will kick off with a match between the defending champions, Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB), and Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) at the M.Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru.
**IPL 2026 Team Squads:**
**Royal Challengers Bengaluru:** Virat Kohli, Josh Hazlewood, Swapnil Singh, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Jacob Duffy, Krunal Pandya, Jitesh Sharma (WK), Venkatesh Iyer, Phil Salt (WK), Rajat Patidar (C), Nuwan Thushara, Romario Shepherd, Tim David, Devdutt Padikkal, Yash Dayal, Rasikh Salam, Jordan Cox, Jacob Bethell, Vicky Ostwal, Mangesh Yadav, Suyash Sharma, Vihaan Malhotra, Abhinandan Singh, Kanishk Chouhan, Satvik Deswal.
**Sunrisers Hyderabad:** Harshal Patel, Jaydev Unadkat, Pat Cummins, Heinrich Klaasen (WK), Travis Head, Liam Livingstone, Ishan Kishan (WK), Kamindu Mendis, Brydon Carse, Zeeshan Ansari, Abhishek Sharma, Shivam Mavi, Jack Edwards, Harsh Dubey, Salil Arora (WK), Nitish Kumar Reddy, Amit Kumar, Praful Hinge, Smaran Ravichandran, Eshan Malinga, Sakib Hussain, Aniket Verma, Shivang Kumar, Krains Bhaveshbhai Fuletra, Omkar Tarmale.