BENGALURU: A week short of 18 years to the day, a brutal display of power hitting by Brendon McCullum set the tone for what would become a global cricket phenomenon. In the glitzy Kolkata Knight Riders colours of black and gold, the New Zealander bludgeoned an unbeaten 158 off 73 deliveries in the first ever IPL match. It was a masterclass, a template for batters in the shortest version of the game.
That innings also emphasized that the M Chinnaswamy Stadium — with its conducive-for-batting surfaces and short boundaries — was a batter’s paradise. The likes of Chris Gayle, Virat Kohli and AB de Villiers only enhanced the venue’s reputation over the years. In the IPL and the erstwhile Champions League, thirty-four 200-plus totals have been recorded at this venue. Eight of those scores have come since 2023. Fourteen IPL centuries have been scored here with the top individual IPL scores —Gayle’s explosive 175 not out (against Pune Warriors in 2013) and McCullum’s inaugural match explosion — lighting up the stadium.
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In 2023, the 200-run mark was surpassed on four occasions, while the number was three last season, including an IPL record 287/3 by Sunrisers Hyderabad. And yet, over the past few years, the average score at the venue has dipped. Last season, it was 185, while in the two matches thus far this season, it has slipped to 165.
While there has been a growing rumble about the nature of pitches from various franchises, stakeholders in the IPL are staying steadfast. The brief to curators hasn’t changed this year, with consistency of pitches at each venue being the focus.
On Thursday night, following Royal Challengers Benagaluru’s six-wicket loss to Delhi Capitals, the home team’s batting coach Dinesh Karthik pointed out, “This is not a pitch that’s helping the batters much. It’s a challenging pitch. That has been the case so far in both the games that we have played.”
While expressing reservations about the pitch, Karthik also said his team would embrace what’s on offer.
“I think the way T20 cricket is, the more runs there are, the better it is for the broadcaster and fans. They all like to see boundaries. In the first two games here, we asked for good pitches. But it has turned out this way. We try to do our best with whatever we get. That’s how the game goes,” Karthik said.
Still, he didn’t rule out having a word with the curator.
“We will obviously have a chat with him (the curator). We trust him to do his job, and we will try and do the best we can,” he said.
That innings also emphasized that the M Chinnaswamy Stadium — with its conducive-for-batting surfaces and short boundaries — was a batter’s paradise. The likes of Chris Gayle, Virat Kohli and AB de Villiers only enhanced the venue’s reputation over the years. In the IPL and the erstwhile Champions League, thirty-four 200-plus totals have been recorded at this venue. Eight of those scores have come since 2023. Fourteen IPL centuries have been scored here with the top individual IPL scores —Gayle’s explosive 175 not out (against Pune Warriors in 2013) and McCullum’s inaugural match explosion — lighting up the stadium.
Go Beyond The Boundary with our YouTube channel.
In 2023, the 200-run mark was surpassed on four occasions, while the number was three last season, including an IPL record 287/3 by Sunrisers Hyderabad. And yet, over the past few years, the average score at the venue has dipped. Last season, it was 185, while in the two matches thus far this season, it has slipped to 165.
While there has been a growing rumble about the nature of pitches from various franchises, stakeholders in the IPL are staying steadfast. The brief to curators hasn’t changed this year, with consistency of pitches at each venue being the focus.
On Thursday night, following Royal Challengers Benagaluru’s six-wicket loss to Delhi Capitals, the home team’s batting coach Dinesh Karthik pointed out, “This is not a pitch that’s helping the batters much. It’s a challenging pitch. That has been the case so far in both the games that we have played.”
While expressing reservations about the pitch, Karthik also said his team would embrace what’s on offer.
“I think the way T20 cricket is, the more runs there are, the better it is for the broadcaster and fans. They all like to see boundaries. In the first two games here, we asked for good pitches. But it has turned out this way. We try to do our best with whatever we get. That’s how the game goes,” Karthik said.
Still, he didn’t rule out having a word with the curator.
“We will obviously have a chat with him (the curator). We trust him to do his job, and we will try and do the best we can,” he said.
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