Only in one game since match number 46, on April 28 in Chennai, has 200-plus been scored in IPL 2024*. That's six games without 200. The highest in these matches is 169, and the one exception was 201 plays 200, far from the record-breakers we have gotten used to. Are pitches getting tired and slow? And are par scores getting lower? "The way the wicket [in Dharamsala] played in the second innings, definitely I'd say par score," Ruturaj Gaikwad said after Chennai Super Kings (CSK) scored 167 for 9 and it was enough to beat Punjab Kings (PBKS) by 28 runs on Sunday evening.
"Everyone believed the wicket was slow, it was coming slow off the wicket, even low bounce," Gaikwad said on the host broadcast after the win, which took CSK to No. 3 on the points table. "But with the start we got [CSK were 60 for 1 after the powerplay], we thought we could push till 180-200. But we lost two wickets in consecutive balls, and then we thought probably 160-170 would be a good score, or just par, here and there, ten runs short. But the way the wicket played in the second innings, definitely I'd say [167 was a] par score."
There was the slowdown, and then there was Ravindra Jadeja - providing the acceleration with 43 in 26 balls from No. 6 before utilising the pitch well enough to get 3 for 20 with the ball.
"It was a day game, so the wicket was slow, which we expected," he said. "We did well in the [batting] powerplay, but then we couldn't build partnerships. We wanted to build partnerships, so in the last four-five overs, we could score quickly. Partnerships didn't happen, but as a bowling group, we did well. Tushar [Deshpande] got important wickets in the powerplay. Then Mitch [Santner] and I did well in the middle overs.
"During the powerplay, the wicket always looks flat. But as the ball gets a little old, the ball doesn't come on to the bat. Especially at a new venue, you don't know what to expect. That's why we felt we were 15-20 runs short but we bowled well in the powerplay and middle overs, didn't bowl loose balls."
Deshpande sent back Jonny Bairstow and Rilee Rossouw in the second over of the chase. There was a partnership of 53 between Prabhsimran Singh and Shashank Singh, but then the spin twins came to the party - Santner returned 1 for 10 from three overs to go with Jadeja's star turn. Richard Gleeson was expensive, but Simarjeet Singh, playing his first game of the season - like Santner - did well, his three overs giving him 2 for 16, Jitesh Sharma and Harshal Patel his victims.
"I don't know what he's doing, but even the pre-season we had, he was clicking around 150s [kph] in practice," Gaikwad said of Simrajeet." That was one factor that we wanted to consider, but just the bowling options we had - we had Deepak [Chahar], we had Shardul [Thakur] sitting out initially; we had Tushar, who did really well last season, plus [Matheesha] Pathirana and Fizz [Mustafizur Rahman]... So he didn't get too much chance.
"But nevertheless, nothing is late, and he got a game today. We were thinking of sending an impact batter but then we thought the impact batter might give 10-15 runs extra, but the kind of bowling he has, we might end up getting two-three wickets extra as well. Good for him, he has been working hard."
It has been tough for CSK - Mustafizur has gone back home to do duty for Bangladesh, Pathirana is back home to look after a hamstring injury, and Chahar is sidelined too. Making things work has been a challenge, but CSK have done well enough.
Gaikwad admitted that too: "Sigh of relief with the things that were happening... the previous night, or the night of the match, Pathirana slightly here and there, then some of the guys struggling with the flu as well, so not really sure till gameday morning who is playing and who is not."
* This doesn't take into account the Lucknow Super Giants vs Kolkata Knight Riders game on Sunday night.