Former Indian cricketers Cheteshwar Pujara and Sanjay Bangar have praised the explosive batting witnessed in IPL 2026, noting unprecedented scoring rates and fearless intent. The ongoing season has seen teams scoring at an overall run rate of 9.79 after 35 matches, with a Powerplay scoring rate reaching a record high of 10. Batters like Abhishek Sharma, Priyansh Arya, and others are adopting an aggressive approach right from the start.
Pujara highlighted a significant shift in batting philosophy this season, attributing it to the Impact Player rule that allows teams to play aggressively throughout. He emphasized the increasing number of 200-plus totals and successful chases, indicating a notable evolution in the game’s approach. According to him, this season’s statistics reflect a fundamental change in how teams approach their innings.
The current IPL season has witnessed a surge in high scores, with 29 scores of over 200 already recorded compared to only 15 at the same point four years ago. Teams have successfully chased down high targets, with seven chases of over 200 runs in the first 35 games. Notably, the record for the most successful chases of over 200 runs in a season has already been broken this year.
The aggressive trend in IPL 2026 is evident in various aspects, such as a reduced balls per boundary rate, a high percentage of runs coming from boundaries, and an increased number of sub 20-ball fifties. Players like Vaibhav Suryavanshi have stood out for their exceptional performances, showcasing a fearless approach to batting. Suryavanshi, at just 15 years old, has displayed remarkable strike rates and shares the record for the fastest fifty of the season.
Both Pujara and Bangar emphasized the shift towards a more aggressive approach in T20 cricket, particularly in the Powerplay overs. Bangar highlighted the importance of strike rate in modern T20 cricket, noting that it has become the primary metric for evaluating batting performances. He credited the conducive batting conditions and the efforts of BCCI curators for enabling such explosive cricket in the tournament.
