Muttiah Muralitharan isn’t surprised by the run-fest that the Indian Premier League (IPL) has turned into in the 2026 edition, but the Sunrisers Hyderabad spin-bowling coach believes the answer lies in balance, not size of boundaries.
Minutes after SRH chased down 244 against Mumbai Indians at the Wankhede Stadium—the fourth-highest chase in IPL history—Muralitharan pointed to surfaces rather than dimensions as the key lever.
“I don’t think pushing the boundaries is the answer, even if the ball is flying into the stands,” he said. “When you talk about (Vaibhav) Sooryavanshi’s way, he is not just clearing the ropes—he is hitting it deep into the stands. So, it’s not really about lines or dimensions.
“I think it’s more about the wickets. If you start producing balanced surfaces, the game may become tighter—but then spectators might find it less entertaining.”
The numbers underline his point. With 31 totals of 200-plus in the first 40 matches and 10 successful chases of that mark, high-scoring contests have become the norm. For Muralitharan, that is as much a reflection of the format’s commercial ecosystem as it is of evolving skillsets.
“T20 cricket today is largely driven by entertainment. Fans want to see fours and sixes, and the tournament is built around that,” he said. “It’s a big business—with sponsors, broadcasters, and fan engagement all playing a role. If scoring drops significantly, you risk losing that interest.”
Yet, he expects the pendulum to swing.
“Bowlers will adapt. It’s already evolving. Teams like Sunrisers showed a new way of batting, now others are catching up,” he said.
“Bowlers will go back, reassess and find ways to contain. It may take a season or two. And then the batters might find something else again. That’s the nature of modern cricket—constant adaptation.”
Published on Apr 30, 2026
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