When Sunrisers Hyderabad chased down a mammoth 243 against Mumbai Indians with eight balls to spare, it wasn't just another victory—it was a statement. And who better to comment on the state of modern T20 cricket than their spin-bowling coach, the legendary Muttiah Muralitharan?
The Sri Lankan great, the only bowler to take 800 Test wickets and the highest wicket-taker in ODIs, offered a refreshingly honest take on how the game has evolved. "We would have turned the ball, but we would have not made a big dent," Muralitharan admitted, when asked how he or the late Shane Warne would fare against today's power-hitters.
His assessment was brutally realistic. "We could have got one or two wickets, maybe they would have scored 40 runs easily, because wickets are so good and you need about three or four bowlers like that to contain to less than 200." For context, Muralitharan has played around 170 T20 games, but even he acknowledges that the era of power-hitting has fundamentally changed the game.
"Nowadays, 50 runs is a great deal for a spinner, 40 runs means you've bowled well," he explained, highlighting how the benchmark for a successful spell has shifted dramatically. "The game has changed, we can't compare the eras."
Wednesday night's run-fest at the Wankhede Stadium was a perfect example. Abhishek Sharma (45 off 24), Travis Head (76 off 30), Heinrich Klaasen (65 not out off 30), and Salil Arora (30 not out off 10) were relentless, powering SRH to their fifth consecutive win. The match saw a staggering 49 boundaries, turning the iconic venue into a batting paradise.
Muralitharan's message to bowlers struggling in this environment? Accept the reality and adapt. "These days every team has an opening pair that doesn't care about in or out, they just go after the bowling," he noted. "When we used to play, about 40 to 50 runs was a good score with one wicket lost in six overs. Now the average is 70 to 80."
For cricket fans, this evolution means more entertainment, bigger hits, and higher scores. But for bowlers—and the gear they rely on—it's a whole new ball game.