Muttiah Muralitharan, the legendary Sri Lankan spinner and current spin-bowling coach for Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH), explicitly stated that flat, high-scoring pitches are a deliberate byproduct of the IPL's "big business" model. He argues that a truly fair contest between bat and ball would be perceived as "boring" by modern T20 fans who prioritize entertainment through boundaries. Following a massive chase where SRH tracked down 244 against Mumbai Indians at the Wankhede Stadium on April 29, 2026, Muralitharan offered several blunt insights into the current state of the game.
He believes spectators and sponsors primarily want to see fours and sixes, which is why the tournament and rules, like the Impact Player, are designed to favour batting.
Muralitharan warned that providing "fair" wickets could lead to a loss of interest from people and sponsors, as the current high-octane format is what maintains the league's commercial value.
“That is why the tournament is built like that - an extra player to come and bat [impact player]. It is a big business at the moment, sponsors and everything, so you will lose the sponsors and interest of the people if you change it," he said.
Muttiah Muralitharan said, : “If the batters are in top form, then they aren't going to respect any bowler, even if it is someone like Jasprit Bumrah.” pic.twitter.com/VaTdM7DKAZ
— Maina Singh (@Maina_Singhx77) April 30, 2026
Muttiah Murlitharan talks about shift in batters’ mindset
He noted that modern openers "don't care about in or out" and attack from ball one. In his playing days, 40–50 runs in the powerplay was considered good; now, the average has jumped to 70–80. Even elite bowlers like Jasprit Bumrah (who went for 0–54 in that match) are being targeted by uncapped youngsters like Salil Arora, who hit a no-look six off him.
“It is very difficult for a bowler because these days, because of every team, not only us [SRH], has an opening [pair] that does not care about in or out, they just go after the bowling. When we used to play, about 40 to 50 runs was a good score with one wicket losing in six overs, now the average is 70 to 80. Even a good bowler goes for a six, [even] Bumrah goes for one or two balls. Abhishek [Sharma], the way he hits, it is unbelievable, but when a new boy, Salil hits a six, it is unbelievable - you do not think someone with the calibre of Bumrah comes and a young boy will hit a six off him because he will think about how am I going to survive Bumrah," he said.
He urged the bowlers to accept this reality rather than complain. He believes that while batters are dominating, bowlers will eventually find a way to adapt.
