IPL 2025: 'Batters Are Smashing Us' - Shardul Thakur Calls For Balanced Pitches Amid Run-Fests in T20 League

While scores above 200 have become fairly commonplace in the IPL 2025, there has been a growing sense of resentment among bowlers - and India all-rounder Shardul Thakur has now voiced his frustrations at the conditions being skewed in favour of the batters.

Speaking ahead of the Lucknow Super Giants ' first home game of the season vs Punjab Kings, Thakur said he was speaking for all bowlers when calling for more parity in pitch making.

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"It is not what I want, but it is what the bowlers want," Thakur said. "A lot of them might not be outspoken or they might not get a chance to speak in front of media or give interviews about the pitch conditions."

Thakur is one of the first bowlers to have raised his voice over an issue that many fans have been arguing about on social media.

'All We Want is A Fair Chance'

He added that bowlers are not asking for seaming conditions, but instead want the pitches to provide more close contests between bat and ball.

"All that the bowlers are asking is to prepare the pitch in such a manner that the game hangs in balance and it should not be just one-sided where batters are coming and smashing us, because all we want is a fair chance and fair opportunity in the game."

Scores of 200+ have become something of a norm over the past two years and that has continued in the 2025 season as well.

Will Curators Heed The Call?

As of March 30, scores in excess of 200 have been recorded on 10 different occasions already.

Others have spoken out against this albeit in different ways, with both Kolkata Knight Riders and Chennai Super Kings asking for spin-friendly pitches.

Both teams have seen their pitches become more batter-friendly in recent seasons.