New Delhi, May 16 -- The Indian Premier League is not a burial ground for all fast bowlers. Those willing to hurl the white ball with pace, extract movement and hit a good line are still being rewarded. With the 2026 edition of the IPL now in the "business phase", where the Top Four will make the cut, defending champions Royal Challengers Bengaluru and Gujarat Titans continue to grab headlines.
We have heard repeatedly this year that the IPL has become a batting festival, where sixes are unleashed from the start. Yes, stats will suggest that "maximum" is in order, something the crowd loves. It sends them into raptures, even as the commentators wielding microphones and YouTubers raise their pitch. There are also the "Wailing Banshee" types who have said this IPL is a death knell for fast bowlers.
Cricket was always about a contest between bat and ball. For those who may have forgotten, in an era bygone, the West Indies pace battery would make batsmen (now batters) hop, skip and jump. Speed merchants like the late Malcolm Marshall, Michael Holding, Andy Roberts, Joel Garner and company would reduce Test matches to a heavyweight boxing slugfest where opponents were crushed in no time. Imagine, we fans have seen some famous batsmen fearing for their own lives and broken rib cages. At that time, nobody said, "Stop this nonsense, let runs be scored!"
Ahh, for those who wail, those who crib, sport is all about gladiatorial contests. There will always be something or the other to complain about if you do not enjoy sport as a spectacle in totality. Amidst the cacophony and viewership numbers in the IPL dropping this year, what is clear is that performers are always noticed. There is no such thing as fatigue, since the IPL is being held after the ICC T20 World Cup. Imagine, tickets and "passes" were sold on the black market at a petrol pump in New Delhi, near the Ferozeshah Kotla, now renamed the Arun Jaitley Stadium. Unethical, yes, but it tells you there is still a demand for seats inside the arena.
And, in Bengaluru, the demand for free passes from MLAs in the Karnataka Assembly had reached such bizarre levels that the BCCI was forced to shift the final from the Chinnaswamy Stadium to the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad. For those who say this is not a sporting city, it is a lie. Ahmedabad has evolved and, from cricket to a Coldplay rock concert, there is demand. Today's youth are willing to travel to a city which offers so much.
Perhaps, trying to send a strong message that Ahmedabad is a level playing field and not just a batter's paradise, Gujarat Titans' fast bowlers have shown speed, spine and daring to catch the eye. Imagine, after an average start, they are swiftly making changes in their strategy. At a time when bowlers are being portrayed as "victims", what Kagiso Rabada and Mohammed Siraj have provided is sheer delight, defining what home advantage is all about. It has been delightful to watch these fast bowlers evolve as a pair. There are two more speed merchants as well who ensure the GT pace-driven attack is potent and capable of winning matches at home.
A bit about the team led by Shubman Gill. As captain, he deserves credit for ensuring the side is doing well this season. The way Gujarat's new-ball pair has operated in the Powerplay has been defining. Without going too much into statistics, the message from Gujarat is clear: they have bowlers who can deliver and do not necessarily have to rely on scoring over 200 runs as a challenging total to put up first.
When a team does well, the captain comes in for praise. Yet, if one looks at Gujarat Titans over the years, how coach Ashish Nehra has been behind the team every minute is important. He is the man who shaped the destiny of the team when Hardik Pandya was in command. Now at Mumbai Indians, Hardik looks lost, almost junked by the franchise which bought him for a massive price.
Nehra, as a left-arm swing bowler when he delivered for India, was a class act. His is the case of someone who could have done much more had he not been dealing with so many injuries. Never mind. As a smart coach in the IPL, he has rich experience and shares it with great relish. The Delhi man is a bundle of energy, egging on the bowlers and fielders. It is as if he behaves more like a football manager barking orders rather than a cricket coach in pyjama-coloured clothing. It shows Ashish Nehra's involvement and how he is constantly in the middle of it.
It takes one fast bowler of Nehra's experience, and the support from Aashish Kapoor, another proven hand in IPL coaching, to show that Gujarat Titans will rely more on wickets in the Powerplay than centuries from their batters. Yes, GT have also been well-served by Shubman Gill and Sai Sudharsan. The trick now is to sustain the tempo and go right through till the end. As things stand, Gujarat should qualify for the Last Four, but nothing can be left to chance.
The way Punjab Kings have seen a loss of form, thanks to bowling lapses and poor fielding, has caused them trouble. Off-the-field incidents have also bothered them, be it Arshdeep Singh travelling with his girlfriend against BCCI rules or Yuzvendra Chahal being caught "vaping". The IPL cannot be treated as a party zone when in full public view. These days, when professional cameras and cellphone cameras have intruded into private space, there can be no complacency. Shreyas Iyer, the captain of Punjab Kings, as well as owner Preity Zinta, are aware that the focus must only be on cricket till the end.
Reports of unwanted people being seen with the team and players have been noticed. The very concept of girlfriends being present with players is serious, since anti-corruption regulations come into play. Indian cricket has seen, in the past, what damage has been caused by needless folks hanging around cricketers. That the BCCI has warned teams sternly is a good sign. Surely, the IPL can do without controversies like "honey traps", as there is so much at stake.
Talk of focus and how the IPL's biggest star stays focused - it was a delight to see Virat Kohli come out smoking against Kolkata Knight Riders and plot victory in Raipur. After two ducks, for Kohli to show that he is still master of the chase needs to be highlighted. Cricket has become not only about stats but also in-depth data analysis. Strike rate, dot balls, sixes - all this is part of the jargon.
And yet, when you see Virat Kohli batting, it is a state of nirvana for the fans. No sweat, no worry, just watching the artist at work, scripting a chase. To slam a ton was like a monk in meditation. How long can this Virat show go on, dominate the field of play, decimate the rival bowling attack and dictate how he will shape results for RCB? It is not about one day or one year. To be with the same franchise for 19 years and show that same passion - Virat Kohli has emerged as the presiding deity at RCB. It does not matter whether he is batting in Bengaluru or Raipur. The show must go on; fans must sit back, enjoy and cheer.
Behind the runs and records, there is a superhuman constantly challenging age, fitness and the bar itself. There are two rock-star Indian athletes who have defined performance under pressure. If anything, the more the pressure, the more defining the response has been. In decades gone by, tennis maverick Leander Paes mocked ranking and reputation in a theatre called the Davis Cup. This year marks three decades since Leander won an Olympic bronze medal at the Atlanta Olympics. Lee spoke of pressure being a catalyst for him to peak on the big stage.
Cricket and tennis are different. Yet, for all those who heard Virat Kohli speak after the latest century in Raipur, there was a big message: keep challenging oneself, compete against the best. Each day at work is a delight. Where he almost made you choke was when he said one day this will end - his El Clasico in the IPL. For all those who have bullied him on social media and ensured he quit Test cricket on his own terms, the ODIs and the IPL are his personal space. Kohli is pushing hard; he leaves the rest behind by a mile, even if comparisons are made with MS Dhoni and Rohit Sharma in the IPL.
Muhammad Ali called himself "The Greatest". If the IPL needs to decorate someone with this tag, no guesses, it can only be King Kohli. Did I hear a fan say in Hindi, "Mat ruko, Virat bhai"? He has, after all, said the show will end one day. One just hopes it is delayed as much as possible. The IPL needs Virat Kohli. Dil se!
Published by HT Digital Content Services with permission from Millennium Post.