‘Would football be fun if every game had 45 goals?’: Flat pitches won’t make IPL ‘more special’

New Delhi: In last year’s Indian Premier League (intense pulsed light), the team broke the 200-point mark 52 times, setting a record. In the current season, the 200-point mark has been breached 11 times in just 13 games with 61 games remaining. Now this has become a clear trend. So much so that during the 2026 T20 World Cup, broadcasters were even debating whether India could cross the 300-run mark. However, the loss to South Africa in Ahmedabad in the Super Eights gave the eventual champions a reality check.IPL 2026 got off to a flying start as defending champions Royal Challengers Bangalore chased down the target of 202 runs in just 15.4 overs at the Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru. In the next game, five-time champions Mumbai Indians chased Kolkata Knight Riders’ target of 220 in 19.1 overs. However, the next three games were slightly quieter as the game became more balanced between bat and ball.

The run rate has increased significantly over the past four seasons. The run-rate in IPL 2022 is 8.54. It rose to 8.99 in IPL 2023, then climbed to 9.56 in IPL 2024, and further rose to 9.62 in IPL 2025. This steady rise is a clear sign of an upward trend, and IPL 2026 is unlikely to be any different.The total number of goals scored in the IPL has crossed 200, a significant increase. The first 10 seasons (2008-2018) produced a total of over 67,200 shows, while the following 9 seasons (including the ongoing version) brought the total to an eye-popping 207, a 3x increase.Even during that span, there were 58 total points scored over 200 points in 299 games in the first five seasons (2017-21). Since 2022, the total of over 200 has jumped to 159 in roughly the same number of games, a 2.74x increase.

A growing imbalance

In a freewheeling chat with TimesofIndia.com, Shamsi made scathing comments about the growing imbalance in modern cricket, especially T20 cricket.“The balance is so much in favor of the batsmen that it’s not fun anymore,” he said.“Imagine, in a boxing match, if one boxer was asked to fight with one hand tied behind his back, while the other boxer could punch with both hands. Is that fair? Would that be fun?“In football, is it fair if one team is allowed to have a goalkeeper and another team is not?“It feels like this is how bowlers are severely hampered in most T20 matches today. For any sport to be entertaining, it must be a fair game. “

While Shamsi raised serious concerns about the growing imbalance, Jayawardene disagreed and did not think it was a major issue.“It is not a simple question. There are many factors involved. In a place like Australia, where you have good wickets but a bigger pitch, that is important,” he told reporters on the eve of the match against Delhi Capitals at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in New Delhi.“In the IPL, the venues are smaller and the pitches are generally batting-friendly, so sixes naturally become easier. In today’s T20 cricket, the par score is around 180. Even in tougher conditions, the par score is around 160, and on better surfaces it can go up to 200.“I still feel the bowlers performed well. Their skill level is very high and I don’t think it’s a major issue,” he added.