Six century stands: how Travis Head and Abhishek Sharma matched Warner and Dhawan, and who passed them
Travis Head and Abhishek Sharma reached six century opening stands in IPL 2026, level with David Warner and Shikhar Dhawan, before Shubman Gill and Sai Sudharsan took the record with eight.
Apr 30, 2026 · Updated Oct 19, 2026
Travis Head and Abhishek Sharma put on 129 for the first wicket at Wankhede on 29 April 2026, as Sunrisers Hyderabad chased down Mumbai Indians’ 243/5 with eight balls to spare. Head made 76 off 30, SRH finished on 249/4 in 18.4 overs, and the stand was the pair’s sixth century opening partnership in the IPL. That equalled the record David Warner and Shikhar Dhawan had set for SRH between 2014 and 2017.
The share did not last the season. Shubman Gill and Sai Sudharsan of Gujarat Titans, who had five century opening stands at the time, drew level on 9 May, went past on 21 May and finished IPL 2026 with eight, the record. Head and Abhishek did not add a seventh.
Most century opening stands in the IPL
| Pair | Team | 100+ opening stands | Span |
|---|---|---|---|
| Shubman Gill and Sai Sudharsan | Gujarat Titans | 8 | 2024-2026 |
| Travis Head and Abhishek Sharma | Sunrisers Hyderabad | 6 | 2024-2026 |
| David Warner and Shikhar Dhawan | Sunrisers Hyderabad | 6 | 2014-2017 |
| Jonny Bairstow and David Warner | Sunrisers Hyderabad | 5 | 2019-2020 |
| Faf du Plessis and Virat Kohli | Royal Challengers Bengaluru | 5 | 2022-2024 |
The span is the first and last of each pair’s century opening stands. Counts are for the first wicket only, from Statsguru, up to the end of IPL 2026.
Head and Abhishek’s six century stands
| Runs | Opponent | Venue | Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| 108 | Royal Challengers Bengaluru | Bengaluru | 15 Apr 2024 |
| 131 | Delhi Capitals | Delhi | 20 Apr 2024 |
| 167* | Lucknow Super Giants | Hyderabad | 8 May 2024 |
| 171 | Punjab Kings | Hyderabad | 12 Apr 2025 |
| 120 | Punjab Kings | Mullanpur | 11 Apr 2026 |
| 129 | Mumbai Indians | Wankhede | 29 Apr 2026 |
Two of the six came in the first five weeks of IPL 2026, but the first of them did not bring a win: Abhishek made 74 off 28 at Mullanpur, and Punjab Kings still chased down SRH’s 219/6 with seven balls left.
How Gill and Sai Sudharsan took the record
When Head and Abhishek drew level with Warner and Dhawan, the Gujarat pair were one behind, their fifth having come against Royal Challengers Bengaluru on 24 April. They then put on 118 against Rajasthan Royals in Jaipur on 9 May, 125 against Chennai Super Kings in Ahmedabad on 21 May, and 167 against Rajasthan in Qualifier 2 at Mullanpur on 29 May, when Gill’s 104 took Gujarat to the final.
How SRH’s season ended
SRH started IPL 2026 with one win in four, then won five in a row, against Rajasthan, Chennai, Delhi, Rajasthan again and Mumbai, the last of them the Wankhede chase. They finished the league stage third, with nine wins from 14 matches.
That earned them an Eliminator against Rajasthan Royals at Mullanpur on 27 May, and it went the wrong way. Vaibhav Sooryavanshi made 97 off 29 as Rajasthan posted 243/8, and SRH were all out for 196 in 19.2 overs, losing by 47 runs. Royal Challengers Bengaluru went on to win the title, beating Gujarat in the final. For the season’s standout batter, see our feature on Vaibhav Sooryavanshi’s IPL 2026.