Ravichandran Ashwin has some pretty strong views on the state of bowling in IPL 2025. He jokingly suggested that bowlers might soon need to bring their own personal psychologists to matches because the game’s becoming so tough for them. Ashwin feels like things have gotten so hard for bowlers this season that even throwing full-toss balls might be a smarter strategy than trying to pitch it and watch the batsman smack it away.
So far, it’s been a wild tournament. Out of the first five matches, three of them saw over 200 runs scored in each innings. This change is largely due to the flatter pitches that franchises are playing on and the new impact player rule, which encourages batters to go all out and hampers bowlers’ abilities to defend. Last season set records for runs, strike rates, and batting averages. In fact, SunRisers Hyderabad almost broke their own record for the highest score in tournament history during their first game of this season.
During a chat with his analyst buddy Prasanna Agoram on his YouTube channel, Ashwin brought up the fact that bowlers are now often labeled as defensive. He said, “Sure, people think bowlers are being defensive. But honestly, there are times when bowling feels nearly impossible! In some places, you can’t even take a chance with the stumps.
He mentioned how Yuzvendra Chahal, during a match against Sai Sudharsan, ended up bowling full tosses but managed to escape giving away runs easily. Interestingly, he pointed out that sometimes a full toss isn’t as bad as people think. On certain pitches, balls that land on the wicket can actually make it easier for batters to score. He reminisced how, back in the day, everyone thought full tosses were the easiest to hit. Now, it seems like on some surfaces, that’s not the case at all.
Right now, Ashwin is playing for the Chennai Super Kings (CSK). These guys are usually pretty tricky for the batters and play their home games at a ground in Chepauk, Chennai, which tends to favor bowlers more often than not. In their first match at home, CSK had a nail-biter against the Mumbai Indians, managing to chase down 156 runs in the final over. Next up, they’ll be facing the Royal Challengers Bengaluru on March 28. It’s shaping up to be a thrilling season!
