IPL 2026: For batters, struggle is real in slightly tough conditions
Having Been Spoon-Fed T20 Belters, They Have Been Unable To Adapt When Needed Most. Should Indian Cricket Be Worried About Success Away From Home?
NEW DELHI: India’s T20 cricketing prowess is now the envy of the world, especially with the IPL dictating the changing landscape of the format. India’s back-to-back T20 World Cup triumphs, however, were built on an IPL-generated template of logging high scores on batting-friendly pitches. Yet, this season’s IPL has sounded a warning which could set off the alarm bells on this approach.
Monday’s game at the Ferozeshah Kotla between Delhi Capitals and Royal Challengers Bengaluru, in particular, highlighted how batters can surrender timidly when condition are slightly bowler friendly and the likes of Josh Hazlewood and Bhuvneshwar Kumar are doing bowling duties. DC were reduced to 8/6 in 3. 5 overs and finished the Powerplay with a record IPL low score of 13/6.
Somehow they limped to a total of 75. It’s almost against the core marketing ethos of this format to see ball dominate bat, but there have also been some games in Lucknow and Chennai too this season which have been uncomfortable for batters. Getting to 160 has become an arduous task in Lucknow while the Chennai Super Kings batters were shackled by the likes of Mohammed Siraj, Kagiso Rabada and Jason Holder in Chennai on Sunday.
The surfaces in question have not been minefields. They are regular surfaces with just enough in it for the bowlers to expose the technical deficiencies of batters. The Indian team has played most of its white-ball cricket in the subcontinent in the last two years.