Turbocharged: What explains the glut of 200-plus scores in IPL 2023?

This season, we have already seen a record 29 team totals in excess of 200. The previous record was 18

Over the past two double-header Sundays, three of the four IPL games have witnessed the chasing team hunt down a target in excess of 200.

Jaipur: Sunrisers Hyderabad batters Abdul Samad and Marco Jansen celebrate after winning their IPL 2023 match (PTI)

On April 30, Punjab Kings successfully chased 201 against Chennai Super Kings at Chepauk and Mumbai Indians prevailed while pursuing a target of 213 versus Rajasthan Royals at home. On May 7, Rajasthan were again at the receiving end as Sunrisers Hyderabad came up with an impressive riposte to notch up a four-wicket victory after their bowlers conceded 214. The afternoon game on the same day saw Gujarat Titans post 227/2 – their highest total in IPL – to clinch a 56-run win as Lucknow finished on 171/7. These games are simply a microcosm of what has been a significant trend in this year’s IPL.

In the 16th edition of the league, 200-plus totals are being amassed and chased down with more regularity than ever before. In 53 matches until Monday – there are 21 games still remaining this season – there have already been 29 instances of a team scoring 200-plus. The previous highest was 18 in 2022. That’s a substantial increase from last season, which itself was witness to a greater frequency of 200-plus scores than previous years. In percentage terms, 28% of the innings this season have had totals over 200. The corresponding figure for 2022 was 12%.

The spate of 200-plus totals is an outcome of batting units being more aggressive in the powerplay and middle overs. While teams are showing more effectiveness in utilising the vacant spaces on the outfield when fielding restrictions are in place in the opening six overs (a run rate of 8.67 in the powerplay this year is the highest-ever), the game-changer is the rate of scoring in overs 7-16 – the middle phase of a T20 innings. With five fielders allowed outside the 30-yard circle at the end of the powerplay, teams would usually be a tad circumspect in the middle phase before unleashing mayhem in the slog overs. Not this season though. The average run rate in the middle overs is 8.32 this year, a substantial spike from an average of 7.7 over the past 15 seasons.

It’s here perhaps that the real impact of the Impact Player ruling is being felt. Having come into effect at the start of this edition, the ruling essentially allows teams to have the cushion of an extra batter while batting and an extra bowler while bowling. With no restriction on the usage of an Impact Player, in addition to the luxury of deciding the playing XI after the toss, teams that are bowling first are likely to substitute a specialist bowler for a batter at the completion of the first innings and vice versa.

This convenience is consequently allowing teams to adopt an extremely aggressive approach with the bat. “Based on how the IPL has been going this year, if a bowler concedes less than 30 runs (in four overs), that’s a very good spell. I think most teams are scoring 200-plus easily now because of the Impact Player rule and the fact that batters are coming in to just smash it all over,” said KKR all-rounder Andre Russell. “Batting line-ups have gotten longer in this tournament. If you notice that seven wickets are down and you still see a batter coming, it's just scarier as bowlers.”

Even Gujarat Titans leg-spinner Rashid Khan, ever so frugal otherwise, has been vulnerable to the big hits in the current edition. Having not had an economy rate higher than 6.73 (2018) in six previous seasons of the IPL, he’s conceding 8.09 runs per over on average in 2023. He already has 19 wickets in 11 matches though.

“The Impact Player does make a difference. The mindset is different. Players just keep going. You know that you have an extra batter in the line-up. So that fear of failure is not there,” said Punjab Kings bowling coach Charl Langeveldt.

“The higher totals are definitely because of the Impact Player rule,” said former India opener Robin Uthappa, who enjoyed success with KKR and CSK before donning his current role of commentator. “You have a completely batting-heavy side when the team is batting and then you have an extra bowler while bowling. The role of the all-rounder gets depleted a little bit. You get proper batters while batting, which is why you are seeing scores upwards of 200 so often. And even them being chased down. It is the impact of the Impact Player rule.”

There may be other factors at play too. The venues this season have largely offered batting-friendly surfaces with the exception of the one in Lucknow that has produced a few low-scoring games.

“Pitches have been good in general. I don’t think Lucknow is necessarily a sporting wicket. The pitches in other parts of the country have been phenomenal. Even at Eden Gardens, you generally get spin-friendly pitches because the home side generally has a good spin unit. KKR do have a good spin unit, but the pitches have nullified even someone like Sunil Narine,” said Uthappa.

Young batters also seem to intrinsically possess a no-holds-barred approach and a 360-degree range of strokes. Is it a case of others taking a leaf out of England’s book in an effort to emulate their white-ball success?

“I don’t know if you can credit it to England so to speak. I think the game is evolving. You look at the next generation of Indian batters and they come up with a range that is 360 degrees. Every youngster coming in has complete access to different parts of the ground,” said Uthappa.