Watch: Ruturaj Gaikwad's superb catch removes Travis Head for 23 during SRH vs CSK clash in IPL 2026

As a captain, it’s always a challenge to set the right field set-up against the two aggressive openers of the Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH), which includes Travis Head and Abhishek Sharma. The use of the bowler always becomes crucial, and that was the exact situation with Ruturaj Gaikwad, when SRH locked horns with Chennai Super Kings (CSK). 

During the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 clash at the Rajiv Gandhi International Cricket Stadium in Hyderabad, the visiting captain won the toss and decided to bowl first on a batting track as they were forced to make a few changes in the playing eleven.

Ruturaj Gaikwad’s catch sends back Travis Head in IPL 2026

Gaikwad decided to throw the ball to Matthew Short for the opening over and got the instant result with just four runs being conceded. But his line and length became quite predictable for Abhishek, who threw his bat at everything to celebrate his half-century in just 15 balls.

It wasn’t a sweet start for Head from the other end. The southpaw broke free with a much-needed six that he lofted handsomely over the cover region. He welcomed Mukesh Chaudhary with three boundaries in four balls in the final powerplay over.

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But on the fifth delivery of the over, the left-arm pacer had his revenge as they sent the batter back to the pavilion for 23 runs off 20 balls with the help of three boundaries and one six. It was a full toss, but Head mistimed it straight down the ground.

Gaikwad, who was inside the ring at the long-on region, was a bit late to react. But he rushed in and dived forward perfectly and grabbed the ball just a few inches over the ground. It was a superb catch under pressure from the CSK captain.

On the very next ball, it was a simple chance that the tourists sent back the SRH captain, Ishan Kishan, for a golden duck.

SRH finish with 194/9 vs CSK

For the Hyderabad side, Abhishek made a massive impact with 59 runs off 22 balls with the help of six boundaries and four sixes at a strike rate of 268.18. Heinrich Klassen was equally phenomenal for his 59 runs off 39 balls, thanks to six boundaries and two sixes at a strike rate of 151.

See Also: Twitter Reactions: Abhishek Sharma celebrates 15-ball fifty during SRH vs CSK clash in IPL 2026

Jamie Overton was superb with the ball, picking up a wicket in each of his first three overs to have figures of 3/37 in four overs. Noor Ahmed returned with figures of 0/33 in four overs. They slowed down towards the end, with 110 runs coming in the last 13 overs. 

Brief Scores (at the time of writing): SRH- 194/9 (Abhishek Sharma 59, Heinrich Klassen 59, Anshul Kamboj 3/22, Jamie Overton 3/37) vs CSK. 

Fans react to Gaikwad’s superb catch vs SRH in IPL 2026

Here is how the fans reacted to Gaikwad’s catch against Hyderabad in IPL 2026-