The 2025 edition of the Indian Premier League has kicked off with explosive batting displays, leaving little room for bowlers to make an impact. Amid the growing trend of high-scoring thrillers, entrepreneur Anupam Mittal voiced his criticism in a sarcastic post on social media platform X, formerly Twitter.

“Everything is a wide, no, 4 or 6 #IPL should just replace bowlers with bowling-machines,” he posted, reflecting the growing frustration among fans witnessing the one-sided dominance of batters.

While many fans continue to enjoy the six-hitting spectacles, a section of the cricketing community, including Mittal, feels the lack of balance between bat and ball is hurting the essence of T20 cricket. His post quickly gained attention online, sparking a debate about the changing dynamics of the game.

The recent match between Gujarat Titans and Punjab Kings further proved the point. In a run-fest where Punjab posted a mammoth 243 runs and GT nearly chased it down, the match witnessed over 450 runs with only 10 wickets falling. Except for GT’s R Sai Kishore, who bowled an impressive spell of 3/30, no other bowler managed to keep their economy under nine runs per over.

Before this, in a high scoring game against Rajasthan Royals, Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) began their campaign with a statement victory. SRH’s batting lineup unleashed a torrent of runs, setting the tone for what promises to be an electrifying season.

The sheer dominance of batters in IPL 2025 has brought the role of bowlers under scrutiny, with fans and cricket pundits alike questioning the direction modern T20 cricket is heading.

Who is Anupam Mittal

Anupam Mittal is an Indian entrepreneur, investor, and business leader best known as the founder and CEO of People Group, which owns several well-known platforms including Shaadi.com. He is also widely recognized as one of the investoors of Shark Tank India

Afghanistan’s star spinner, Rashid Khan, has shattered the record previously held by India’s ace bowler Jasprit Bumrah, becoming the third-fastest player to claim 150 wickets in the Indian Premier League (IPL).

Rashid achieved this milestone in the opening match of the season while playing for the Gujarat Titans against the Punjab Kings. Despite his team facing a narrow 11-run defeat and Rashid only taking one wicket, he surpassed Bumrah to secure his place among the fastest bowlers to reach 150 wickets in this lucrative tournament.

Rashid’s incredible record now stands at 150 wickets from 122 matches, trailing only behind Yuzvendra Chahal (118) and Lasith Malinga (105). Notably, Rashid reached the 150-wicket mark in two fewer matches than Bumrah, who took 124 games. Beyond merely taking wickets, Rashid’s performance showcases his exceptional bowling skill; only Malinga boasts a better bowling average (19.79 compared to Rashid’s 22.00), and Sunil Narine is the sole player with a superior economy rate (6.73 versus Rashid’s 6.83) in this elite group of wicket-takers.

At just 26 years old, Rashid has flourished in the IPL, effectively utilizing his legbreak googly to outsmart batsmen. However, during the match against the Punjab Kings on a batting-friendly pitch in Ahmedabad, he struggled to maintain his usual economical style. In his four overs, he conceded 48 runs, resulting in an economy rate of 12.00 while grabbing the lone wicket of debutant Priyansh Arya.

The Kings had a commanding start, accumulating runs at a swift pace of over 12 per over after the powerplay. With the Titans needing a break in the momentum, captain Shubman Gill turned to Rashid. He managed to entice Priyansh into an ill-timed shot with a well-tossed delivery that lacked the necessary bounce and turn. This resulted in a high top edge that was comfortably caught by Sai Sudharsan, dismissing Priyansh for a quickfire 47 runs off just 23 balls.

That wicket was Rashid’s only bright spot in an otherwise difficult outing. The Punjab Kings surged to a daunting total of 243/5, propelled by captain Shreyas Iyer’s explosive unbeaten 97 and Shashank Singh’s contribution of 44 runs. In response, the Titans showed some resilience but ultimately fell short of the target, finishing just 11 runs behind.

Following a nerve-wracking IPL 2025 encounter between Delhi Capitals (DC) and Lucknow Super Giants (LSG), a post-match chat between LSG owner Sanjiv Goenka and newly appointed captain Rishabh Pant sparked renewed attention, especially as it aired live on television. While the conversation appeared cordial, it reminded fans of a past controversial interaction between Goenka and former captain KL Rahul, which ultimately preceded Rahul’s release from the franchise.

In the high-profile mega auction, LSG secured Rishabh Pant for a record Rs 27 crore and handed him the captaincy. However, his debut as LSG skipper did not go as planned. Pant failed to score in his six-ball stay at the crease and made questionable decisions while defending in the final overs against DC. Notably, he gave the penultimate over to debutant Prince Yadav, who conceded 16 runs, instead of using seasoned bowler Shardul Thakur. The final over, bowled by Shahbaz Ahmed, was sealed with a six by Ashutosh Sharma, sealing a memorable win for Delhi.

Gavaskar reacts to Pant-Goenka exchange

Legendary cricketer Sunil Gavaskar, who was commentating during the match, weighed in on Goenka’s televised interaction with Pant and offered his perspective on Pant’s performance and captaincy.

“I think he knows,” Gavaskar said, referring to Pant’s self-awareness of his errors. “He actually mentioned in the post-match interview that you often learn more from your mistakes than from your successes… This is just the first match, and there are 13 more to go. Rishabh Pant is an intelligent cricketer, and he will have picked up valuable insights regarding his batting and captaincy.”

Gavaskar added that scoring runs helps boost a captain’s confidence when making tactical decisions. “Once he gets some runs under his belt, I expect his captaincy to become even more assured,” he said.

Praise for Ashutosh Sharma’s match-winning knock

Gavaskar was also effusive in his praise for Ashutosh Sharma, whose unbeaten 66 off 31 balls was key to DC’s last-over win. He called the finish “fabulous” and said it exemplified what makes the IPL so thrilling.

“These last-over thrillers, these breath-taking finishes—that’s what I call BOLD: Breath-taking, Outstanding, Lightning, and Devastating,” Gavaskar said, praising both Ashutosh and the drama of IPL cricket.