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After the 2023 World Cup, it seems almost unfathomable that Travis Head went unsold in the IPL 2023 auction. It's even more unbelievable that he has just played 10 matches in the IPL, the last of which came six years ago.
But that's IPL. The recruiters often have short-term memories. And Head's inconsistency in 2022 was never getting him a contract in IPL 2023 with an ₹2-crore base price. Everything has changed in six months now.
He's now a World Cup final and a World Test Championship final Player of the Match. He took the most important catch in the former. Overall in 2023, he has the best average among the top-10 run-scorers for Australia in ODIs.
The Aussies have played just three T20Is so far this year and Head top-scored in the third with a 48-ball 91 (eight fours and six sixes) against South Africa. In Tests, he's the second-highest run-scorer for the country with 848 runs at an average of 47.11.
The same short-term memories might mean some teams would be ready to break the bank for him for IPL 2024, the auction for which is slated for mid-December. Below are three teams we think he'd be a good fit at:
Gujarat Titans
IPL 2023's runners-up Gujarat Titans went with a completely India-heavy top order. Hardik Pandya was so happy with it that even in the final, they chose to go with just three overseas players before subbing out Sai Sudharsan for Joshua Little in the second innings using the Impact Player rule.
The Titans might need a change in strategy this year. Opener Wriddhiman Saha recently turned 39. He has been excellent at the top of the order in the tournament over the past couple of years but with no cricket behind him (he doesn't feature in domestic competitions) in the leadup to IPL 2024, it might be a big risk.
Travis Head and Shubman Gill at the top would give them exceptional strength in the batting order. It would be a left-right combination followed by similar flexibility in the middle. The Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad, Titans' home ground, obviously suits him too. Usually runs in international cricket at a ground translate into IPL form too.
If they can find a good Indian pacer to hold their bowling attack, Head would be as good a level-enhancer as they come for them.
Delhi Capitals
Some reports have suggested that the Delhi Capitals are planning to release Prithvi Shaw ahead of IPL 2024. Whether or not that's true, it makes a lot of sense for them to grab a player of Head's quality.
They averaged just 24.71 runs in powerplay last season, the second-lowest. A lot of it was because of the slow and low pitch in Delhi but Rishabh Pant's absence, Shaw's poor form, and chopping and changing in every match didn't help either.
Now, with Pant expected to return for the coming season, they can have a middle-order overseas spot free, which in turn can allow them to have David Warner partner with his Australian partner Head at the top of the order.
Both players are excellent against spin and could be even more lethal if Delhi continues to have flat wickets like they had in the World Cup. Moreover, if they continue with Shaw and Warner at the top of the order, Head has a pretty good record in the Big Bash League, where he usually plays in the middle order.
If those are not enough reasons, his leg spin, which was brilliant to watch in the World Cup, gives a great option to the Capitals for their pitch.
And finally, having been a part of Australia's leadership group for a long time, he could add more value to the Warner-Pant combination.
Kolkata Knight Riders
Two-time champions Kolkata Knight Riders have a lot of similar reasons to the Capitals to sign Head in December. It's just their reasons are more vehement.
They were the only team with a worse powerplay average than the Capitals - 24.13 - and for a long time, it didn't look like they were sure of who their openers were. Head can provide that never-seen-before stability to the top of the order, which they have unsuccessfully searched for since Gambhir's move away.
The Knight Riders are built around their spinners and were one of the best teams on spin-friendly wickets like Chepauk. But the pitch at their home ground, Eden Gardens, was far from their strengths and affected the campaign. Skipper Nitish Rana called that out as well, saying his team didn't enjoy any home advantage.
The signs of change were visible this World Cup when Eden produced a lot of slow pitches. That again, will make Head the perfect candidate for the job. The clutch-moments mentality he brings to the table is second to none as well and would only help KKR in their quest to go back to their glory days.
