Former South African captain and Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) legend AB de Villiers has shared his tactical blueprint for stopping Sunrisers Hyderabad’s (SRH) damaging opening duo, Travis Head and Abhishek Sharma, in Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025.
IPL 2025: AB de Villiers’ blueprint
Talking on his YouTube channel, de Villiers emphasised the significance of well-planned area placements, exact bowling methods, and an sudden wildcard in RCB’s lineup to counter the pair’s aggressive batting strategy. De Villiers began by acknowledging the dominance of the duo, saying, “What did everybody name them? They received a nickname, ‘TravShek,’. I believe they’ve earned the fitting to get a nickname as a result of these two have been an unbelievable opening partnership for SRH over the previous few years. Completely phenomenal,” He famous that they’ve constantly offered SRH with explosive begins and have turn out to be a nightmare for opposition bowlers.
SRH’s run-machine Travis Head’s weak spot
De Villiers emphasised Head’s wrestle towards short-pitched deliveries and the way bowlers ought to problem him with aggressive lengths. “What I might do is absolutely plan two-length bowling to him. I’d stand up there and never draw back from throwing yorkers on the stumps but additionally testing him on the pinnacle with the fitting area setup,” De Villiers defined.
He additional elaborated on area placement, saying, “I wouldn’t have a 3rd man again. As an alternative, I’d convey my third man up whereas retaining my fantastic leg and deep sq. leg again. That manner, I can bluff and make him assume, ‘What’s coming subsequent? A yorker? A tough size? A bouncer?’” His technique revolved round denying Head easy accessibility to his favourite off-side strokes by cramping him up and forcing him into errors.
“I wouldn’t thoughts if he hit me over quick third man, however I received’t give him free runs in his robust zones. I might cramp him up, use body-line bowling, combine it up with good yorkers and well-directed bouncers, and set two fielders deep on the leg aspect. That may be my sport plan towards him,” the previous RCB batter added.
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Explosive batter Abhishek Sharma’s weak spot
When addressing Abhishek Sharma, de Villiers famous that his greatest power lies in his off-side stroke play. He suggested bowlers to disclaim him width and drive him to play in uncomfortable areas. “Abhishek could be very robust via the off-side, so that you don’t need to give him room to free his arms. The important thing to stopping him is to cramp him up and guarantee he doesn’t get straightforward width to capitalize on,” the 41-year-old mentioned.
Abhishek, recognized for his aggressive strategy, could be weak to intelligent bowling modifications. De Villiers prompt that bowlers combine up their deliveries, stay unpredictable, and stop him from stepping into rhythm.
The sudden X-factor towards SRH’s openers
Surprisingly, De Villiers recognized RCB’s left-arm spinner Krunal Pandya as a wildcard choice to dismiss both Head or Abhishek early. Whereas standard knowledge suggests not utilizing a left-arm spinner towards two left-handed batters within the powerplay, de Villiers believed Krunal’s intelligence may outsmart the aggressive openers.
“I do know folks will say that bowling a left-arm spinner to a left-hand batter within the powerplay, with solely two fielders outdoors the ring, is dangerous. However Krunal is so good that he can outthink one in every of these two guys, at the least. And that’s all he must do—simply break the partnership. When you get one in every of them out, the opposite has to begin a brand new partnership, and that’s while you shift the momentum in your favor,” he defined.
De Villiers additional identified that ego may play a job in bringing about Head or Abhishek’s downfall. De Villiers highlighted how Head and Abhishek’s aggressive mindset may backfire if RCB deploys a bowler like Krunal on the proper time. By forcing them to take dangers, Krunal may create a possibility for a breakthrough.
“I believe Travis Head will come out and play with ego, and Abhishek Sharma as nicely. If Krunal is available in pondering that they’re going to attempt to rating 20+ runs in that over, he simply wants to stay calm and bowl well. Towards all the chances, I imagine he’s the man who can get one in every of them out,” the ex- South Africa captain said.
RCB’s finest weapon with the brand new ball
Whereas De Villiers was assured that Krunal may present a tactical edge, he additionally backed RCB’s premier pacer Josh Hazlewood as the very best bowler to get SRH’s openers out early. He emphasised the significance of carrying an attacking area when Hazlewood is bowling.
“Clearly, Josh Hazlewood is likely one of the finest new-ball bowlers on the earth. He can get anybody out with the brand new ball, and towards Head and Abhishek, it’s a must to carry a slip—even perhaps two—as a result of an edge will certainly come in some unspecified time in the future,” De Villiers prompt.
Hazlewood’s potential to bowl constant lengths, extract bounce, and transfer the ball could possibly be very important towards Head and Abhishek, preferring attacking from the beginning. De Villiers believed that an early breakthrough would put quick stress on SRH’s center order, shifting the sport in RCB’s favour.
“That will probably be my pondering—good, straight strains to Head, no width for Abhishek, and making them uncomfortable. If we are able to break their partnership, then we disrupt SRH’s sport plan fully. That’s the important thing,” De Villiers concluded.