The Indian Premier League (IPL) has always been a tournament that celebrates high-scoring games, with batters often dominating the spotlight. The 2025 season has been no different, with teams like SunRisers Hyderabad, Punjab Kings, Rajasthan Royals, and Gujarat Titans already surpassing the 230-run mark multiple times. However, Chennai Super Kings’ veteran bowler Ravichandran Ravichandran Ashwin has raised concerns over the one-sided nature of the awards given during IPL ceremonies, questioning the lack of recognition for bowlers despite their crucial contributions to the game.
Ravichandran Ashwin, known for his analytical take on cricket, highlighted the issue on his YouTube channel, pointing out the heavy bias toward batters in IPL award ceremonies. “In the IPL presentation show, there are at least 10 awards given to players, and almost 50% of the players from both teams receive some kind of recognition. But if a bowler delivers a match-defining spell or bowls a brilliant over, they often don’t get a single award,” Ravichandran Ashwin said. He further pointed out that while awards like Super Striker, Super Fours, and Super Sixes exist, there is no recognition for a standout bowling performance.
He also mentioned that the league had previously introduced a ‘Fastest Ball’ award, but even that seemed redundant since the bowler receiving it could have conceded a six on the same delivery. In a lighthearted remark, Ravichandran Ashwin joked, “Itna door nahin hai ki bowler ball leke bhaag jayega ground se bahar. Agar mein ball nahin daalunga toh aap maaroge kaise?” (It’s not so far that the bowler will run away with the ball. If I don’t deliver the ball, how will you hit it?)
Ravichandran Ashwin also came to the defense of Punjab Kings’ bowler Vyshak Vijaykumar, who played a crucial role in checking Gujarat Titans’ scoring momentum in a high-scoring encounter. Vyshak, brought in as an impact substitute, bowled three tight overs under pressure. While Gujarat was well placed at 169/2, chasing a daunting 244-run target, Vyshak’s first two overs conceded only 10 runs in total. His third over went for 18 runs, but his economical bowling in the death overs played a pivotal role in restricting GT, leading to Punjab’s victory. Despite his efforts, the Player of the Match award went to Shreyas Iyer for his unbeaten 97*, raising further questions about the recognition of bowlers’ performances.
Ravichandran Ashwin praised Vyshak’s execution, calling him the “Most Valuable Player” of the match. He appreciated the bowler’s clarity in planning, precise execution of wide yorkers, and fearless approach to full tosses. “For me, Vyshak was the MVP. He should have been the Player of the Match for this game,” Ravichandran Ashwin stated.
Ravichandran Ashwin’s remarks once again bring to light the longstanding debate over the imbalance in T20 cricket, where batters receive disproportionate credit while bowlers’ match-winning performances often go unnoticed. With IPL 2025 continuing to be a high-scoring tournament, his comments have reignited discussions on whether the league should introduce awards that specifically recognize exceptional bowling performances.
