Last Updated:
Ravichandran Ashwin says IPL 2025’s flat wickets make bowling tough, suggesting bowlers may need psychologists. High scores and aggressive batting limit bowlers’ options.
Ravichandran Ashwin.
Ravichandran Ashwin believes that the IPL 2025‘s flat wickets will soon force bowlers to be ‘accompanied by personal psychologists’. He thinks the ‘bowling has become impossible’ this season to the point that full-tosses are a better defensive option than pitching the ball and seeing it come to the bat that nicely.
Three of the first five matches in IPL 2025 have seen scores of more than 200 scored in each innings. Since the last season, flat wickets across the home venues of all franchises, plus the impact player rule has allowed batters to go uber-aggressive and limited the options for bowlers.
IPL 2024 broke the records for runs, strike rate and batting averages, while SunRisers Hyderabad (SRH) almost matched their own highest-ever score in the tournament history in their first match of the 2025 season.
“You said bowlers are becoming defensive. I want to talk about that. I think bowlers will soon have to be accompanied by personal psychologists. I genuinely mean that,” Ashwin said while responding to a comment by his analyst friend Prasanna Agoram in a video discussion on his YouTube channel.
“Okay, people say bowlers are becoming defensive. Let that argument stand. But in several instances, bowling has literally become impossible. On certain grounds, you can’t keep the stumps in play. You mentioned full tosses-but (Yuzvendra) Chahal bowled full tosses to Sai Sudharsan and got away with singles (on Tuesday in Ahmedabad). In fact, a full toss isn’t always a bad ball. On some pitches, deliveries that land on the wicket actually make it easier for batters. We all thought full tosses were easier to hit when we were young, but on certain surfaces, the ball pitches and comes onto the bat better than a full toss,” he added.
Ashwin is playing for Chennai Super Kings (CSK) this season. The five-time champions play their home games at Chepauk, Chennai, the venue that offers help for bowlers most consistently.
CSK won their first match at the ground against Mumbai Indians, chasing 156 in the final over. They’ll now host Royal Challengers Bengaluru here on Friday, March 28.
Follow RR vs KKR live:
Stay updated with all the latest news on IPL 2025, including the schedule, points table, top run-scorers (IPL Orange Cap), and leading wicket-takers (IPL Purple Cap). Get real-time updates, match highlights, and expert insights—only on News18.