Former India cricketer Kris Srikkanth has slammed the Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) openers, Travis Head and Abhishek Sharma. This comes after SRH was demolished for 86 in the chase of 168 runs as GT won the game by 82 runs in the IPL 2026 game in Ahmedabad on May 12.

Half-centuries by Sai Sudharsan and Washington Sundar helped GT score 168/5. In response, Head got out to Mohammed Siraj for a duck, and Abhishek Sharma perished against Kagiso Rabada after hitting a six on the previous ball.

SRH was bowled out for 86 runs, and as a result of this loss, slipped to the third spot in the IPL 2026 points table.

Despite getting off to a fast start in the innings, former India captain Kris Srikkanth questioned Abhishek's shot selection and lack of poise during SRH's collapse against GT.

"Abhishek Sharma smashed the first ball for six. Why is he charging the second ball? He should have gotten out on that ball itself, but eventually charged again to be dismissed on the fourth ball. You need to show some application. They are brilliant only when the going is good. Their batters can keep winning orange caps or any other cap. But sometimes you have to apply yourself," Srikkanth said on his YouTube channel.

Srikkanth chastised SRH’s reckless batting display and stated that such a cavalier approach will not help SRH become a title-winning side. He also stated that Travis Head is out of form, and the couple of innings he has played of note came by fluke.

"If they are going to become a championship side, this kind of batting will not do. Rabada just does everything with the ball at high speeds. His line was fully on the stumps at Test match lengths. Travis Head hasn't been able to lay a bat on a ball this entire season. He scored flukily in a couple of matches through dropped catches," said Srikkanth.

Head’s shot selection was also questioned by Srikkanth, who stated that the lack of application by the Australian opener on a pitch that demanded caution led to his dismissal.

"When you know you are not connecting well, why play shots? He's playing on the on-side and getting out to third man on the off-side. SRH only bowled first and saw that the pitch was hard against the medium pacers. Shouldn't someone like Travis Head apply? Can you just score like that by slogging blindly?" he concluded.

SRH will next travel to Chennai to face CSK on May 18.