Push back boundaries in IPL by 10 yards: Dilip Vengsarkar
Former India skipper Dilip Vengsarkar expressed concern over bowlers' plight in IPL-2026 due to high scoring, suggesting boundary pushes to rebalance the game. He also urged Mumbai's young cricketers to prioritize playing for their city. The MCA also felicitated Ayush Mhatre and awarded lifetime achievement awards.
MUMBAI: The deluge of big scores, fours and sixes in IPL-2026, which has seen even 200-plus totals being chased down easily, has left former India skipper Dilip Vengsarkar a bit concerned about the plight of the bowlers in the tournament. On Tuesday, Sunrisers Hyderabad scored 242 for two in 20 overs, with explosive opener Abhishek Sharma blasting 135 not out off just 68 balls. "If this trend of batters completely dominating the bowlers -hitting them for fours and sixes at will- continues in the IPL, no one would want to become a bowler.
For someone who runs many cricket academies, I can say that parents these days don't want their kids to become bowlers. Most of them want their kids to become batters. This is not a good thing," Vengsarkar told TOI on the sidelines of the Mumbai Cricket Association's Annual Awards function on Wednesday.
“The authorities must consider pushing back the boundaries by perhaps around 10 yards to help the bowlers. The quality of the bats has also improved, so pushing back the boundaries could be a solution to level up this currently one-sided contest, and bring back bowlers into the game," he strongly recommended. Meanwhile, Vengsarkar urged Mumbai's young cricketers to "play for Mumbai to win," even as he called the IPL an "important format.
" "Mumbai has a good cricket structure, The Harris Shield and Giles Shield, the under-19 and inter-collegiate tournaments among others over the years that serve as the supply line for Mumbai cricket. It produces tremendous talent that is the future of Mumbai and Indian cricket. I hope you all play for India.