Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) batter Travis Head is available for his team’s next IIPL 2025 match against Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) in Lucknow on Friday, his team’s bowling coach James Franklin said. “As far as I’m aware, he’s declared fit and ready to go for selection,” James Franklin said during a pre-match press conference on Thursday.

The Australia batter had missed Sunrisers Hyderabad’s previous match against Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) on May 19 after having tested positive for COVID-19.

In Head’s absence, uncapped Indian batter Atharva Taide replaced him in the playing XI against Lucknow Super Giants. Taide managed to score just 13 runs from nine balls that included three fours.

Travis Head’s forgettable season

Travis Head, who was SRH’s top-scorer in IPL 2024, has had a far from perfect season this time around. The 31-year-old has scored just 281 runs from 11 matches at a strike-rate of 156.11, scoring just two fifties. This is in comparison to IPL 2024, wherein he slammed four fifties and one century.

Travis Head had been retained for INR 14 crore, which was a significant increase from his previous contract of INR 6.80 crore.

Sunrisers Hyderabad, led by Pat Cummins, have only pride to play for now that they are out of contention for the IPL 2025 playoffs. Sunrisers Hyderabad are currently in eighth place with just nine points from 12 matches, having won four matches and lost seven. Their match against Delhi Capitals in Hyderabad on May 5 was abandoned due to rain. That no result officially ended Sunrisers Hyderabad’s chances of qualifying for the IPL playoffs and were knocked out of the tournament.

The Pat Cummins-led side had reached the final of IPL 2024, where they lost to Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) by eight wickets.