It was May 2023 when hosts RCB had to overcome the GT-hurdle to progress in what was the final league game of the season. Mohammed Shami, the bowler of the tournament, was set to bowl his second over of the day on a wicket that had been under the covers for much of the day after a prolonged spell of rain. Second ball of the over, Shami pitched one in his typical good length area and Faf du Plessis responded running down the wicket to loft the ball over wide extra cover. Shami pitched three more balls in the over around the same area, and was met with three swipes across the line by du Plessis, two of them aerially under control and another one off a thick under edge, as the over fetched RCB 16 runs.
IPL 2025
RCB turn to height and back of a length to ace the Chinnaswamy conundrum
The Chinnaswamy stadium has traditionally been known as the 'graveyard for bowlers' © Sportzpics
Come 2025, it is highly unlikely batters would have scored nearly as many runs off similar lengths with shots across the line. In each of the four matches at Chinnaswamy in IPL 2025, the batters have been at peril while attempting cross-bat shots, thanks to the two paced nature and the tennis ball bounce it creates.
It was not an abrupt change in the surface as there were signs of the nature of the beast tweaking from last season itself. The 2024 edition of IPL was played at the backend of a long and busy home season where Chinnaswamy played host to five ODI World Cups games, a couple of T20 Internationals, and half of WPL 2024. The freshly rolled grass might not have got enough time to bed in and the wicket possibly did not get enough time to recover ahead of IPL 2024 that gave it a tacky feel. In the first match of the season at the venue, the wicket did show the two paced nature, and it was the
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