High Scores, Record Chases and a Week That Changed How We See the Game
There used to be a number in T20 cricket that felt safe. Post 180 and you had a chance. Cross 200 and you could sleep well. That number does not exist in IPL 2026 anymore.
This past week had eight matches. Some were one-sided. Some were historic. One was a collapse nobody saw coming. But the one thing that ran through almost all of them was the same. Bowlers being made to look ordinary. Big totals being chased down like they were nothing and the growing feeling that the game has quietly crossed a line it cannot come back from.
When Scoring 220 Is Not Enough
The week had a pattern. A team would post what used to be a match-winning total. The other team would chase it and win. Then everyone would move on like nothing happened.
Punjab Kings posted 222 on Tuesday. Rajasthan chased it with four balls to spare. Mumbai Indians scored 243 on Wednesday and lost. Rajasthan posted 225 on Friday and Delhi chased it with seven wickets to spare. These are not low-quality bowling attacks. These are teams with international bowlers who have done this at the highest level. It is just that in 2026 that does not seem to matter as much anymore.
The reason is simple. Batting lineups have become deeper. The Impact Player rule means teams can carry an extra batter without the risk of being short on bowling and players are coming into these games with the mindset that no total is too big. That mindset is contagious. When Rajasthan chased 222 on Tuesday, Delhi believed they could chase 225 on Friday. When SRH chased 243 on Wednesday, everyone else took note.
The One Day Bowlers Won
Thursday was the outlier. Jason Holder took five wickets in Ahmedabad and bowled RCB out for 155. Gujarat chased it with four wickets to spare. It was the kind of match that used to be normal. Now it felt like an event. Even in 26th and 27th, previous week, we saw low scoring matches between CSK-GT, KKR-LSG and DC-RCB. But these have been rare matches rather than the usual number each season.
The next day the run-fest was back. Friday, Saturday and Sunday all produced comfortable chases. One good day for bowlers in a week of seven matches tells you everything about the balance of the game right now.
Rohit Sharma Comes Back
Monday night in Mumbai had its own story running alongside the big totals. Rohit Sharma had missed five games with a hamstring injury. LSG posted 228. And then Rohit walked out to open with Ryan Rickelton and did what only Rohit can do. He made it look simple.
The two of them put on 143 runs in the opening stand. Rickelton made 83 off 32 balls. Rohit made 84 off 44. MI chased 228 in 18.2 overs to record their highest ever successful chase in IPL history. Three losses in a row forgotten. Rohit back to looking like the best T20 opener in the country. And LSG dropped to their sixth straight loss.
Two stories in one night. One about a team finding themselves again. Another about a team that has completely lost their way.
So What Does This All Mean?
Pat Cummins said something after SRH chased 243 last week that stuck. He said even 12 runs an over feels chaseable now. That you have to reset your expectations as a bowling unit. Hardik Pandya said he would back his bowlers to defend 244. They could not.
These are two of the best cricketers in the world. Both of them essentially saying the same thing. The targets that used to feel safe no longer are.
This is not just about flat pitches or good batting form. It is a shift in how the game is being played. Batters are picking their spots earlier. They are not waiting for the powerplay to end before going hard. They are treating every over like a chance to score 15 or 16. And with the depth that modern IPL lineups carry, there is always someone to come in and continue exactly where the last person left off.
The week ended with MI chasing 229 at Wankhede on a Monday night. Not a weekend. Not a high-profile fixture. Just a regular league game. And it felt like watching the new normal.
In IPL 2026, 200 is not a fortress. Posting it does not win you the game. It just gets you to the starting line.
