Kamal Ghorui
MUMBAI: The deluge of big scores, fours and sixes in IPL-2026, which has seen even 200-plus totals being chased down easily, has left former India skipper Dilip Vengsarkar a bit concerned about the plight of the bowlers in the tournament. On Tuesday, Sunrisers Hyderabad scored 242 for two in 20 overs, with explosive opener Abhishek Sharma blasting 135 not out off just 68 balls. “If this trend of batters completely dominating the bowlers -hitting them for fours and sixes at will- continues in the IPL, no one would want to become a bowler. For someone who runs many cricket academies, I can say that parents these days don’t want their kids to become bowlers. Most of them want their kids to become batters. This is not a good thing,” Vengsarkar told TOI on the sidelines of the Mumbai Cricket Association’s Annual Awards function on Wednesday.
“The authorities must consider pushing back the boundaries by perhaps around 10 yards to help the bowlers. The quality of the bats has also improved, so pushing back the boundaries could be a solution to level up this currently one-sided contest, and bring back bowlers into the game,” he strongly recommended. Meanwhile, Vengsarkar urged Mumbai’s young cricketers to “play for Mumbai to win,” even as he called the IPL an “important format.” “Mumbai has a good cricket structure, The Harris Shield and Giles Shield, the under-19 and inter-collegiate tournaments among others over the years that serve as the supply line for Mumbai cricket. It produces tremendous talent that is the future of Mumbai and Indian cricket. I hope you all play for India. Of course you also play in the IPL, I am not saying you don’t play in IPL, which is an important format, but play for Mumbai to win,” Vengsarkar, a former India chief selector, said. Mumbai and Chennai Super Kings opener Ayush Mhatre, who was felicitated by the MCA for captaining India to the Under-19 World Cup win earlier this year, said, “The MCA gave me a debut in the Irani Cup clash (at the age of 17, for the Mumbai versus Rest of India at Lucknow in Oct 2024), so a special thanks to MCA for backing me at a young age and supporting our U-19 World Cup win.” Reflecting on his growth as a player, Mhatre said, “Batting in the maidans of Mumbai is difficult. The pitches are difficult whereas at the higher level, wickets are better. Practicing in the maidans helped me at the higher levels. I love playing at the Cross Maidan, Shivaji Park, Oval Maidan, as playing in these grounds have helped me a lot.” Pandit, Patankar given Rs 10 lakhs Meanwhile, former India women’s team player Shobha Pandit and ex-India men’s team wicketkeeper Chandu Patankar, who won the ‘Lifetime Achievement Award’ in the ‘Cricketer’ category, were given Rs 10 lakhs by the MCA. Pandit holds the distinction of being the opener in India’s first-ever women’s Test match in Oct-Nov 1976. Three other category award winners were also given Rs 10 lakhs each. MCA president Ajinkya Naik said, “The MCA has been a trailblazer in initiating many things, including introducing the annual retainership for its players.” List of awardees:For 2024-25 Season:Special Prize for the Best Senior Cricketer (Women’s): Vrushali BhagatLifetime Achievement Award (Cricketer): Chandrakant PatankarLifetime Achievement Award (Administrator) Ravindra SavantCricketer of the Year and Justice Tendolkar Trophy for the Best Senior Cricketer of the Year (2024-25): Shardul ThakurFor 2025-26 Season:Special Prize for the Best Senior Cricketer (Women’s) 2025-26: Sayali SatghareLifetime Achievement Award: (Cricketer) Shobha PanditLifetime Achievement Award: (Administrator) Shrikant TigdiUnder-19 World Cup Winners: Ayush Mhatre and Abhigyan KunduWomen’s World Cup Winners: Jemimah Rodrigues, Amol Muzumdar and Aavishkar SalviT20 World Cup Winners: Suryakumar Yadav and Shivam DubeHat-trick of BCCI Best Association Award: Mumbai Cricket Association.
