IPL 2026: A Season With Centuries in a Losing Cause

The season is far from over, and yet, it has already witnessed five centuries in a losing cause

The Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 has come under flak for being too batting-friendly, where runs are being scored at will, and bowlers have limited control over the economy. The situation has been such that, despite batters hitting hundreds, their teams have ended up on the losing side. In fact, the 2026 season is far from over, but it has already recorded five centuries that went in vain.

In the following paragraphs, let us look at those five centuries that did not yield a positive result.

KL Rahul’s 152

KL Rahul’s 152 runs now stand as the highest individual run scored by a batter in a losing cause. KL Rahul’s innings and Nitish Rana’s 91 runs for the Delhi Capitals helped the team post a massive 264 runs on the board. However, the Punjab Kings successfully chased down the target, thanks to Shreyas Iyer's 71 runs off 36 balls and Prabhsimran Singh's 76 runs off 26 balls.

Ryan Rickelton’s 123

In a match between the Mumbai Indians and the Sunrisers Hyderabad, Ryan Rickelton scored 123 runs to give Mumbai a defendable target of 243 runs. However, Hyderabad not only chased the target, but they did so with eight balls to spare.

Quinton de Kock’s 112

In another Mumbai Indians match, Quinton de Kock in the blue jersey scored 112 runs that ended in vain. Against the Punjab Kings, Mumbai, thanks to Kock’s innings, posted 195 runs on the board. Punjab Kings yet again chased down the target and won the game.

Vaibhav Sooryavanshi’s 103

Known for guiding his team, the Rajasthan Royals, to regular victories, Sooryavanshi’s century against the Sunrisers Hyderabad did not yield a win. Hyderabad ended the game in 18.3 overs with 57 runs in 29 balls from Abhishek Sharma, Ishan Kishan’s 74 runs in 31 balls and Nitish Kumar Reddy hitting another 36 runs in 18 balls.

Sai Sudharsan’s 100

Sai Sudharsan’s 100 for the Gujarat Titans also ended in a defeat against the Royal Challengers Bengaluru. In a setting where scores above 250 aren’t safe, the Titans scored 205 runs against Bengaluru, which was chased with five wickets and seven balls in hand.

Such incidents have led to heavy criticism of the league, as many feel there is no longer a contest between bat and ball and that the tournament is unfair to bowlers.

 

Boria Majumdar, one of India's most famous sports journalists, wrote on his Facebook profile, “In 2026 things have started to change. All of a sudden, it is only and only about batters. Yesterday, 1000 runs were scored in 40 overs, with 265 and 228 being chased down quite comfortably. Hundreds from KL Rahul and Vaibhav Sooryavanshi went in vain. No total is safe, and the bowlers have been reduced to bystanders who are there to feed balls to the batters to hit sixes and fours.

The truth is, this is a violation of the sport as we know it. It doesn't and can’t work in the long run. Except for a small section of fans who don’t understand the sport, people can’t keep backing this unidimensional and robotic transformation of the game. It is as if they are playing with plastic balls and the game is all about who hits more sixes.”

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