Follow UsOver the last two years, the Indian Premier League (IPL) has become a laughing stock, considering how it has now mirrored the Pakistan Super League (PSL) as a batter-friendly tournament. In IPL 2024, there were eight occasions where teams have amassed over 250, with Sunrisers Hyderabad scoring 287/3 - the highest total in the tournament's history.
It hasn’t changed one bit this year, as the teams have started off on a similar trajectory, with plenty of runs on offer. Prior to Punjab Kings’ (PBKS) second IPL 2025 encounter against Lucknow Super Giants (LSG), their bowling coach, James Hopes, talked about how the IPL has become very batting-centric in the last three years.
"In the last 2-3 years, the IPL has become very batting-centric with huge scores. I have not seen any surface that is unplayable. I think it's fine if the surface slightly favours your home team,” Hopes said in the pre-match press conference.
Alongside that, Hopes also reckoned that PBKS would be ready for the battle if LSG dishes out a spin-friendly track.
"I think it's fair for a home side to have the home-ground advantage. If you have a spin-heavy attack, you can play on a spinning wicket. We have to prepare accordingly. There are no teams in this tournament that cannot play on a turning track," he said.
"It has been a slower start to the tournament for us this season game-wise. It gives us the advantage of preparing our skills for our next challenge. We know it will be a spin-heavy night tomorrow. We did not have that in our first game. The guys have been preparing for the same over the last few days. The beauty of the seven-day gap is that we had time to prepare for it," he added.
Hopes also heavily praised his skipper Shreyas Iyer, who, on PBKS debut, smacked 97* and marshalled his troops to a brilliant win.
"Iyer brings his calmness to any team that he is playing for. His batting is world-class. He is now considered as one of the better short-form cricketers in the world."
"From a captaincy point of view, he keeps everything calm on the field. The bowlers were raving about it after the first game. He is clear with his communication and does not lose his nerve when the ball is flying around. We are lucky to have him as captain," Hopes signed off.