At a glance
- 15 scores of 200+ have been chased down successfully at IPL 2026
- Flatter pitches and the impact player rule have contributed greatly to higher scores in recent years
- Two 240+ scores have been successfully chased down in this year’s IPL
The Indian Premier League has long been a batting-friendly competition. Scores over 200 have become commonplace as the league has carried on. Pitches becoming flatter and and the addition of the impact player rule have been major factors in high-scoring games becoming a near everyday occurrence in the league.
That said, the frequency with which 200+ scores have been chased down this year is a little more uncommon.
Frequency of high chases at IPL 2026
Teams have chased down scores of 200+ 54 times so far in IPL history. 15 of those instances have come in 2026. One look at the top 10 highest run chases in the competition and it becomes abundantly clear just how common these high chases have been in the IPL this year.
Six of these 10 run-chases have, in fact, come in the ongoing IPL season. In fact, we’ve seen two targets over the 240-mark successfully chased down in the IPL this year. Teams have, in fact, done so with an over to spare as well.
Punjab Kings almost made light work of the 265 that they were set by Delhi Capitals in Delhi on April 25. Just four days later, Sunrisers Hyderabad scored 249-4 with an over to spare at the Wankhede Stadium.
The run rate spike in 2026
Another metric one could look at to understand the upward trend when it comes to big scores in the IPL is the average runs per over in a season. Batters across the IPL have scored at 9.82 runs per over this season. That is a whole 0.2 runs higher per six balls than we saw in 2025 (9.62). This is just another addition to an increasing trend that we’ve seen year-by-year since 2023.
That run rate of 9.82 becomes 9.92 for teams batting second this term. These numbers could, however, be aided by the fact that batters in the second innings go out there with the knowledge of exactly what needs to be scored.
One must also keep in mind the significant impact of dew in night games in India. The presence of dew causes the ball to become wet and slippery. In turn, the bowlers and fielders struggle to grip the ball, making it easier for batters to score at will.
It remains to be seen just how much this trend will continue as we head into the final stretch of IPL 2026. What we can expect is for teams to continue scoring big in conditions that have favoured batters for a while now.
Note: The numbers used in this article are accurate as of 16 May 2026.
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