The 2026 season of the Indian Premier League (IPL) had been making headlines for the ridiculous frequency with which teams were scoring over 200 runs in an innings and how easily they were chasing down targets in excess of 250 at times. However, amid all that noise came Monday’s fixture in which Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Josh Hazlewood helped Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) wipe away Delhi Capitals (DC) for just 75 runs and win the match by nine wickets.
Bhuvneshwar, who took three wickets for just eight runs in his three overs, explained how important it is for bowlers to be defensive in the format and how that should not be seen as negative cricket. “The biggest change is that batters no longer hold back, even when the ball is swinging in the powerplay. Earlier, there was more respect for conditions, but now the approach is consistently aggressive,” said Bhuvneshwar on JioStar.
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“That’s where the mindset shift for bowlers becomes important, being defensive isn’t negative, it’s about bowling to a plan and targeting weaknesses.”
A general change in approach in batting in T20 cricket in recent years, with more emphasis being given to scoring as many runs as possible from every delivery, coupled with the Impact Player rule in the IPL seems to have led to scores skyrocketing in the tournament in recent years. The record for highest score in the history of the tournament has been rewritten multiple times in the last three seasons. Of the 20 highest team scores in the history of the IPL, just two have been made prior to 2023.
Bhuvneshwar said that the emphasis has to be on containing runs when the wickets are flat but when there is some assistance in the air, as was the case on Monday, one can be more aggressive. Bhuvneshwar started off with a vicious yorker that blew away debutant Sahil Parakh’s stumps and kept beating batters in the air. “On flat wickets with no assistance, the approach becomes more defensive, not in a negative way, but with the focus on controlling runs and avoiding boundaries, especially against aggressive batters. But when there is some help in the air, the mindset shifts towards being aggressive and looking for wickets,” he said.
“Even if you get a bit of luck with edges or movement, the intent is to keep attacking and create opportunities rather than just containing.”
Bhuvneshwar also admitted that having someone as experienced as Josh Hazlewood at the other end helps. Hazlewood returned figures of 4/12.
“A lot of it comes down to preparation and understanding situations. The planning, even down to small details, plays a big role, and having experienced players like Josh Hazlewood helps, because that communication on the field becomes crucial in adapting to conditions,” he said.
