Sixes rain in IPL 2026, but Mumbai Indians no longer set the pace

A 243-run total was once a jackpot. On Wednesday, it was scarcely enough to stop Sunrisers Hyderabad, who have been at the forefront of a bewildering revolution that has even pushed the might of five-time winners MI to middling grounds.

The striking at Wankhede has been unprecedented this season, with 10.3 runs flowing every over, a sharp uptick from the previous best of 9.59 rpo in 2023. A six has flown every 9.5 deliveries in the five matches at the ground so far this year.

This fever has spread to nearly every venue, save for a few that still hold desi values in slow turn and tacky pitches. At the end of 41 games of IPL 2026, six of the traditional home venues of the 10 teams possess a 150-plus strike rate. That translates to at least nine runs per over on average in over 73 per cent of games so far, making sky-high totals likely almost every evening. While eight of the 16 total 250-plus scores emerged in the 2024 season, the mark has already been breached five times this year.

The collective batting strike rate in an IPL season surpassed 140 (8.4 runs per over) for the first time in 2023, the first season involving the Impact Sub. The extra batter raised scoring rates exponentially in 2024, when the tournament batting strike rate was clocked over 150 in 72 matches. 1260 sixes were smashed with a big hit coming every 13 deliveries.

The ceiling was raised further when 1291 sixes (12.79 bp6) were struck in 73 games last year, during which the batters held a 152.39 strike rate. If the energies in the pitches last another month, it is likely that the batting strike rate would have extended by a fair degree for a third successive year.

With par scores shattered at most venues, MI was the latest casualty of the new, unrelenting chasing order in the league. A shift in this regard was experienced at the Arun Jaitley Stadium, one of the fastest-scoring IPL venues, when Delhi Capitals’ defence of their highest-ever total turned a miserable affair against the Punjab Kings. During their 264-run heist, Punjab bettered their own T20 world record for the highest successful chase by two runs, pushing every possible corner of batting in steady quantums each passing day.

Powerplay carnage

The catalyst for this carnage has been observed in the Powerplays, the 36-ball passage that has turned on manic scoring rates. Top-order batters have now almost replaced the effect of a world-class bowling attack in influencing how teams shape up towards the Playoffs.

Consequently, the only four teams that hold a sub-150 Powerplay strike rate this season occupy the bottom spots in the standings. Meanwhile, Powerplay leaders Punjab (197.62), Rajasthan Royals (189.20), SRH (182.72) and RCB (163.54) occupy the qualifying spots halfway through the edition.

Armed with middle orders that can then relay the blitzkrieg through the rest of the innings, the notion of ‘safe’ scores has escaped the dugouts.

Even venues that have desisted from change are unravelling. The spin cauldron of the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai has opened to quicker scoring, the strike rate moving up to 150 from 133 in the last two years.

Similarly, Punjab’s Mullanpur venue has witnessed gains by 36 runs, up to 169 from 133 back in 2024. The feeling that has left champions and top bowlers scrambling for alternatives is fast becoming the ubiquitous codeword of IPL cricket across the country.