Harsh Goenka has urged the BCCI to address what he described as an increasing imbalance in IPL 2026 after reporting a sharp decline in television viewership for the tournament. The RPG Enterprises Chairman argued that the league’s growing tilt towards batting-heavy contests risked reducing uncertainty and competitiveness, while also calling for structural changes to improve fan engagement and the overall cricketing product.
“IPL TV viewership reportedly down 26%. @BCCI should take it seriously as IPL has become a batting exhibition instead of a cricket contest,” Goenka wrote on X.
IPL TV viewership reportedly down 26%. @BCCI should take it seriously as IPL has become a batting exhibition instead of a cricket contest.
A few fixes:
– Balanced pitches where bowlers matter
– Rethink the Impact Player rule
– Stronger fan engagement by franchises
– Better…— Harsh Goenka (@hvgoenka) May 9, 2026
The businessman, whose brother Sanjiv Goenka owns Lucknow Super Giants, also proposed several changes aimed at restoring balance in the league.
“A few fixes:
Balanced pitches where bowlers matter
Rethink the Impact Player rule
Stronger fan engagement by franchises
Better stadium experience: toilets, seating, food, access.”
Goenka further argued that repeated high-scoring encounters were diminishing the unpredictability that had historically driven the IPL’s appeal. “Cricket is most exciting when there is uncertainty and balance… not just 225 vs 225 every night.”
Gavaskar calls for more support for bowlers
The broader discussion around batting dominance has also extended beyond the IPL, with former India Captain Sunil Gavaskar recently calling for changes to cricket’s wide-bouncer interpretation to offer greater protection for fast bowlers.
Writing in his column for Sportstar, Gavaskar criticised the current regulations around short-pitched bowling.
“There’s the ‘wide ball’ call for a bouncer going barely over the batter’s head. This is like asking a fast bowler to bowl with one hand tied behind his back. C’mon, give him some leeway. After all, with boundary lengths being shortened even though there’s enough space to push them back, the bowlers are being short-changed, and now, with this interpretation where the ball is called a wide if it goes above the batter’s head in his normal stance, the quickies are being handicapped even more.”
Gavaskar suggested that the ICC should consider revising the law to allow bowlers more margin above head height before a delivery is called wide. “If that rule can be tweaked to allow the quick a margin of one foot, approximately the length of the bat handle, above the head while in his batting stance, that would give the fast bowler some relief and encouragement to fire in some more.”
He also appealed directly to ICC Men’s Cricket Committee Chair Sourav Ganguly to consider the issue at the governing body level. “A good batter should be able to score off a bouncer, which is about a bat handle’s height above his normal stance. That might even up the battle slightly in a format where, more often than not, even the best fast bowlers in the game are in for a hiding. So, c’mon Sourav Ganguly, when you chair the next ICC Cricket Committee meeting, spare a thought for the bowling fraternity too.”
Impact Player rule remains under scrutiny
One of the central concerns raised by Goenka was the Impact Player rule, which has increasingly come under criticism for strengthening batting depth and reducing the role of genuine all-rounders in T20 cricket.
As previously reported by cricexec, BCCI Secretary Devajit Saikia had earlier confirmed while speaking to reporters at the BCCI headquarters that the regulation would be reviewed after the conclusion of IPL 2026. “This discussion on the rule has been going on for the last two years. We will review it after this tournament is over, and in the middle of the tournament, we cannot take any calls.”
Saikia, however, defended criticism surrounding the tournament’s scoring patterns and argued that the competition still offered a variety of match situations. “Some low-scoring matches are also there. All the fans are enjoying the matches. The bowlers are getting good wickets as well. Some teams are scoring very low totals, too, if you look at the overall scorecards, and some teams are chasing 260 also. Everything is happening, it is a full bouquet in one package.”
The latest debate has once again placed the IPL’s competitive balance under scrutiny, with growing calls for administrators to reassess whether rule changes, pitch preparation and playing conditions are tilting the format too heavily towards batting at the expense of uncertainty and contest.
