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IPL chairman Arun Dhumal has rejected criticism of the pitches being too flat in IPL 2026. He said the game was perfectly balanced as it was.
Over the past few years, more and more scores are being posted in the IPL. Higher totals, especially 200+ are also being chased with greater pace and higher frequency.
This trend has drawn criticism from various quarters, stating that the pitches have become too batsman-friendly and so have the rules. Apart from batting-friendly pitches, the impact player rule has also come under criticism for allowing teams to play an extra batsman in fast-batting-friendly conditions.
“I think it’s perfectly balanced” – Arun Dhumal
In an interview with RevSportz, Dhumal said that there is no need to re-think the balance between bat and ball in the IPL despite the high prevalence of big scores and chasing those scores.
“No, I think it’s perfectly balanced. We have had some high-scoring games where big targets were chased. But if a team batting first makes a big score, it does not mean that the opposition team cannot chase it.
Dhumal cited the example of the famous Johannesburg ODI of 2006 when South Africa successfully chased 434 against Australia.
He said, “If you remember, many years ago there was a match between Australia and South Africa in which more than 400 runs were chased. So, it has nothing to do with our rules. Both the competing teams are out to win and will do everything to do so.”
We have also seen low scores – IPL Chairman Arun Dhumal
At times, some teams have managed to settle for even a low score, like Delhi Capitals, who were infamously bowled out for just 75 by Royal Challengers Bangalore. Low scoring has become a trend for DC since that game. Dhumal took his example to show that not all totals were as high as this year’s IPL.
“We have also had low-scoring games. For example, Delhi Capitals fell on a very good batting wicket in Delhi in one match. So, a lot depends on the application of the bowling unit,” he said.
I don’t buy into all these narratives- Arun Dhumal
Arun Dhumal further said that despite the pitches being flat, good bowlers have emerged. He also said that cricket is a game of execution and hence one should not read into things about pitches being flat.
“We have seen some exceptional talents emerging. Prince Yadav has done exceptionally well. There are bowlers like Bhuvneshwar Kumar who have bowled brilliantly. He needs to maintain the right line and length. Sometimes it also depends on execution. Cricket is all about execution and application. I don’t go into these stories,” he said.
Dhumal concluded by saying that players need to raise their standards rather than buy into any external narrative.
He concluded, “If you are a good all-rounder, no team can drop you. Can you afford to drop a player like Ravindra Jadeja? So, players have to raise their standards as a bowler, batsman and all-rounder.”
Also read: Are IPL teams unhappy with the Impact Player rule? Arun Dhumal made a big revelation on possible scrapping.