MS Dhoni helicopter shot needed more than wrists: How evolution of bats triggered cricket’s power revolution

Power isn’t the reserve of the big guys either. Anyone can swing the bat and the ball will fly. Modern bats are designed for maximum, consistent power across the face, allowing more explosive boundary-hitting compared to earlier eras when the players would train to meet the ball on a certain sweet spot of their blade.

At the ongoing 2026 ICC T20 World Cup being held in India and Sri Lanka, the bowlers do have their task cut out against the likes of Abhishek Sharma Shimron Hetmyer, Shivam Dube, Finn Allen, Hardik Pandya, Harry Brook, Jos Buttler, Tim David, Mitch Marsh, Marcus Stoinis, Cameron Green and probably everyone else.

The range hitting practices help as does intent (everyone is given free rein) but it still boils down to the bat. The distance, the ping off the bat, the curve… It’s different now.

Former India batter Sanjay Manjrekar has seen the changes from his playing days in the 1980s to the current T20 era.

“When we used to go to the factories there used to be these raw willows kept, they would be compressed very hard to ensure that the bat lasted longer because people couldn’t afford, one bat was for the season.But since then the bat manufacturers have realised that keeping the willow slightly raw meant that it had a little spongy kind of feel for it,” said Sanjay Manjrekar, who at his peak, scored classy centuries against some of the fastest bowlers of all time — from the West Indies and Pakistan.

Manjrekar added: “It is that spring action which helps generate power. That is the main difference,”

Paras Anand, director of renowned bat makers, Sanspareil Greenlands, says the quality of bats we see now is the result of a lot of R&D done following solid feedback from the champion players of the earlier decade.

“What has happened from the last couple of decades, starting from Sachin Tendulkar, Sourav Ganguly and VVS Laxman to now, the cricket bat has evolved from where it was based on the feedback these top athletes have been giving. In the 1980s and 90s, there was not a lot of science being applied to a cricket bat whether it was about the construction of the handle, whether it was the curve in the bat. The evolution has happened over two decades. It has happened very slowly,” said Anand.

And this has resulted in batters not feeling extra weight of the wood while also getting the benefit of more power.

“Earlier the willow used to be heavier and compressed so the bat looked slimmer. Clive Lloyd (former West Indies batter and captain) and all used to use a really heavy bat, even Tendulkar’s bat was heavy. Now the pick up is light. Edges are also broad, even if the ball hits close to the edge there is still enough meat behind the ball for it to travel. Earlier, we had to make sure we got the ball in the middle of the bat to get the power,” says Manjrekar.

But how is it possible to have thicker blades which are also lighter?

“These are slightly dried clefts, they have less moisture in them, which makes them brittle. But for players who have sponsors it doesn’t matter if a bat breaks, they will get two new ones,” said Anand.

Former India batter Manoj Tiwary agrees with the statement.

“More grains helps in rebound but this is not hundred per cent related to grains. The flexibility in fibres and the density play a more crucial part in it, the ideal number of grains is 6 to 10,” said Anand.

The biggest difference is the entire face of the bat becoming a sweet spot. Earlier, you would have one patch in the lower middle of the bat. Now, you just need to get bat on ball.

“The massive curve they have these days has enhanced the sweet spot. The more wood you have on the bat with the light weight gives you a bigger sweet spot,” said Anand. “It is all a natural product: it’s about getting the formula right, the flexibility in the fibres, the density and the construction, the combination of these three things makes your product (bat), there’s nothing else.”