"There's a sponsor for the number of sixes that are hit" - Alyssa Healy's stunning statement on high-scoring games in early part of IPL 2025

Australia women's team captain Alyssa Healy has opined that the Indian Premier League (IPL) is catered entirely towards batters and focuses on entertainment in the form of boundaries. The Impact Player rule's introduction, coupled with teams embracing the aggressive route, has thrown the balance between bat and ball to an entirely new level of lopsidedness.

In the early stages of the competition this year (only four matches in), the record for the highest team total (287) was almost breached. The contest between the SunRisers Hyderabad (SRH) and the Rajasthan Royals (RR) saw an aggregate of 528 runs, with SRH scoring 282 on March 25. Jofra Archer conceded 76 runs in four overs, making it the most expensive IPL spell in history.

In the season opener, the Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) chased down a 175-run target with 22 balls to spare against the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR). Whereas, the Delhi Capitals (DC) chased down 210 runs in the most recent clash of the tournament against the Lucknow Super Giants (LSG).

Alyssa Healy predicted yet another tough year for the bowlers, courtesy of the flat decks and the way the competition is shaped.

"I mean, when you play a competition and there's a sponsor for the number of sixes that are hit in the competition, you know you're in strife as a bowler. The wickets are going to be flat, that's what they think people want to see... I feel for the bowlers out there, it's going to be a tough old year," Alyssa Healy said on the 'Willow Talk' podcast (via Yahoo Sports).

Alyssa Healy's husband, Delhi Capitals (DC) pacer Mitchell Starc, ended with figures of 3-42 on his debut for the franchise on Monday, March 24. The veteran conceded a flurry of boundaries against his national teammate Mitchell Marsh during the powerplay phase.

"I just don't know why you'd want to be a bowler in the IPL" - Alyssa Healy

The talks of a first-ever 300-plus total in the IPL were making the rounds during the build-up to the 2025 edition. Teams stacked up their power-hitting arsenal during the mega-auction and it seems to be the way forward, leaving bowlers lost in the middle.

"I just don't know why you'd want to be a bowler in the IPL. Honestly, what is the point? Especially if you bowl fast because there's no room for error if you slightly miss, it's going for six," Healy said in the same interview.

The wicketkeeper-batter opined that SRH have played to their strengths by preparing a flat deck at their home venue, the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium.

"They've got to set it up that way in Hyderabad because of the power they've got in that squad and ability to hit teams out of fixtures. It's pretty incredible but they're going to play to their strengths and we'll see how that goes for them around the country," Healy said of SRH.

Two of SRH's three 250-plus totals last season came away from home, including their record 287-run effort, which came at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru. Their powerplay record of 125 runs was scored at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in Delhi.