At a glance
- Holder calls for more balance between bat and ball
- Highest number of scores over 200 after 38 games
- Second highest total of runs over the past five years
Gujarat Titans’ bowling all-rounder Jason Holder has called for a for balance between bat and ball in the IPL. However, after 38 games so far this season, there has been 31 scores over 200, the highest at the same point over the last five season. This season is also the second highest run total since 2024, despite having one game called off due to rain.
Bowling Challenges
There is no doubt that the fans love to see plenty of runs, with the ball flying to all parts, but as a bowler myself, I know how difficult it can be seeing a good ball disappear to the boundary.
Gujarat Titans bowled tightly against CSK and kept them to a reasonable 158-7. Kagiso Rabada had the best figures with 3-25, and Holder himself bowler well with figures of 0-22. In reply Gujarat got them with 20 balls left.
Holder admitted that flatter pitches and faster outfields have not helped, and leave little margin for error. Talking after his side’s win over CSK, he said:
“It’s tough in India sometimes with smaller, quicker outfields and some really good pitches. As a bowler, you’d take conditions like today, even though it’s humid. Ideally, you’d take the pitch and leave the humidity, but I’d take this any day.
“It’s not easy being a bowler in the IPL. The players here are among the best in the world, and the standard keeps rising. As a bowler, you’ve got to understand your margins. If it’s a good shot, you move on and stick to your plans. You can’t bring back the previous ball…you just focus on the next one and minimise bad deliveries.”
On the plans for Rabada and the rest of the attack, Holder said:
“My message to KG was simple – just keep hitting a really good length and try not to be too short. Kagiso is a world-class bowler and he showed that today.“
Figures for the First 38 Games
| YEAR | TOTAL RUNS | SCORES OVER 200 |
| 2022 | 12723 | 11 |
| 2023 | 13288 | 20 |
| 2024 | 13935 | 17 |
| 2025 | 13542 | 20 |
| 2026 | 13787 | 31 |
Things have definitely got harder for bowlers over the past five years. In 2022, there was only 11 scores over 200 in the first 38 games. That grew to 20 the following year. There was a slight drop off in 2024 with only 17 scores over 200, but it was back up to 21 in 2025.
This season has been the most prolific by a long way. Teams have scored over 200 a total of 31 times in just 38 games. Officials abandoned one match after only two overs, and reduced another to 11 overs per side, so teams could have produced even more such scores.
Run totals have grown as well. In 2022, teams scored 12,723 runs across 38 games. In 2023, they increased that figure to 13,288. They pushed it higher again in 2024, reaching 13,935 despite fewer 200-plus scores. In 2025, teams recorded a slight drop-off, finishing with 13,542 runs.
However, this season has shot up again. There has been 13787 runs so far this season. That’s only 148 runs less than 2024 with one game being abandoned for rain, so could have been the highest so far.
Reasons for High Scores
The main reason for the high scores isn’t that the bowling has been bad, although it hasn’t been great in some games. It’s down to batters playing shots to every ball, with faster outfields and flatter pitches. Smaller boundaries have also meant that there are plenty of runs for the fans to cheer.
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