Virat Kohli of Royal Challengers Bangalore (AP Photo/Ashwini Bhatia)

Indian Premier LeagueThe batting revolution has reached another peak in IPL 2026, where even a score above 200 no longer guarantees safety. Royal Challengers Bangalore scored 222/4 against Punjab Kings on Sunday, officially registering their 53rd 200-plus score in the tournament this season – the highest ever in a singles. IPL version.Highest total of more than 200 in an IPL edition53 in 202652 in 202541 in 202437 in 202318 in 2022The trend over the past few years makes this number even more staggering. IPL 2025 had previously set a record with 52 scores above 200. Earlier, IPL 2024 had seen 41 such scores, while IPL 2023 had seen 37. Go back just four years to IPL 2022, and the number was only 18. This growth perfectly reflects how dramatically T20 batting has evolved. Aggressive powerplay intent, fearless middle-order hitting and expert finishers have completely changed the definition of a “good total” in the IPL. The introduction of the impact player rule has tilted the balance towards the batsmen, allowing teams to field an extra hitter, while giving players even more freedom to attack with the first ball. What was once considered a match-winning score is now often seen as an equaliser. RCB’s innings against PBKS was another reminder of that change. Virat Kohli Laid the foundation by scoring 58 runs in 37 balls, while Devdutt Padikkal maintained the pace by scoring 45 runs in 25 balls. but he was Venkatesh Iyer Who completely changed the innings by scoring unbeaten 73 runs in just 40 balls. Even after crossing 220, RCB still could not feel completely safe as such totals are increasingly becoming chaseable in modern IPL cricket. Earlier this season, Punjab Kings chased down 265 against Delhi Capitals, which perfectly reflects the fearless batting era that has entered the league. Batsmen are now attacking from the very first ball, teams routinely score more than 10 runs per over throughout the innings and the death overs have become boundary-hit showdowns. A score of 200 is no longer extraordinary in IPL 2026. This is just the starting point of the competition.