A school of thought exists in the part of social media occupied by those who describe cricket so accurately and fully through numbers that they put the “stats are not everything” idiom under a serious cloud of doubt. It is that the philosophies of batting in T20s and Tests, and thus by extension of the two formats altogether, are fundamentally different, making them almost two different sports. While any traditional cricket lover may instinctively scoff at that idea, what we are seeing in the 2025 season of the Indian Premier League (IPL) shows that this could become reality in the not so distant future.
Adherents to this school of thought point out that the primary objective of the batter in Test cricket is to prolong their stay in the middle for as long as possible, unless the situation of the particular match says otherwise. In T20s, the primary objective is to score as many runs as possible off every single delivery, regardless of the consequences (once again, unless the match situation says otherwise). There have been a tapering off of scores in recent days in the IPL with the pitches generally becoming slightly slower but in the first 10 matches of the season, teams scored 190 runs or more in an innings 10 times. Six of these were 200-plus scores. How many times did teams cross 190 in the first 10 matches of a season say, exactly 10 years ago in the 2015 season? Once. You can see a trend right there, and it has been especially evident in the first half of this season. Whether this is a glimpse into the future of T20 cricket or just an aftereffect of the Impact Player rule, only time will tell.
New adherents to the big-hitting philosophy
In keeping with the big-hitting ethos, players who have in the past been criticised for their strike rates in T20s seem to have changed their instincts entirely this season. Shreyas Iyer and KL Rahul are probably the foremost examples of this. Among the many reasons cited for them not being retained by their franchises last season was their strike rates. This year, Iyer has started life as a Punjab Kings player by smashing 263 runs in eight matches at a strike rate of 185.21 KL Rahul has scored 266 runs in his first six matches for Delhi Capitals at a strike rate of 158.33. Of the batters who are in the top 10 of the Orange Cap table, only three are striking below 150.
Home problems
Royal Challengers Bengaluru have won four matches thus far this season. All four of those were comprehensive wins, with RCB hardly ever looking behind at any point of those matches. However, the tables have been turned for them in their matches, all three of which they have lost thus far just as comprehensively. The same can be said for KKR, LSG and, quite incredibly, CSK. Apart from this, two teams – DC and LSG, have had to navigate the uncertainties that come with shifting home venues.
How the turntables
At the halfway mark of the league stage this season, the teams occupying the top four are Gujarat Titans, Delhi Capitals, RCB and PBKS. The Titans are the only ones who have won the title among these teams. The rest of the teams who have won the IPL in the past all occupy the sports between 6th and 10th. CSK, the joint record winners and arguably the most succesfull side in terms of making it past the league stage, are rock bottom and they need a miracle to end all miracles to finish in the top four now. It might be too early but there is a high probability of seeing a first-time winner at the end of this season.