New Delhi: There is a temptation to see Sai Sudharsan as a gifted player who simply turns up and scores big runs in the Indian Premier League.
It’s understandable. With 759 runs at an average of 54.21 last season, he was the tournament’s leading run-scorer. In IPL 2024, he scored 527 runs at an average of 47.91. This season, he fumbled in Gujarat Titans’ first game but was back on track in the next against Rajasthan Royals—scoring 73 off 44 balls.
However, if you watch closely, a different picture emerges. He is not just a talented T20 batter, but a player obsessed with preparation who can quickly adapt to situations. Sudharsan says there is no separate “IPL mode,” and he doesn’t prepare differently though his consistency in the tournament would suggest that.
“I don’t look at it as a different tournament,” he told reporters on the eve of Wednesday’s fixture against Delhi Capitals. “Wherever I play, whatever matches I play, the preparation is very similar and the effort and hard work behind it are very similar.”
Following his consistency in IPL and at the domestic level, Sudharsan has played for India in all three formats. He isn’t necessarily guaranteed a berth in the India squad yet, but he has been on the management’s radar since 2023.
Sudharsan’s game is built less on moments of inspiration and more on routine, repetition and process. The format may change, the opposition may change but his preparation does not. Yet consistency in approach does not mean rigidity. In fact, the one word that dominates his conversation about the game is adaptability. He used the word “versatile” repeatedly while explaining how he sees modern T20 batting. With the game evolving so quickly, players cannot afford to rely on only one method.
“As the sport is evolving and T20batting is getting greater and greater every season or even every five or six months, it’s very important for me to learn from it and be versatile enough to have that in my kitty,” he said.
That adaptability is not only about adding more power or hitting range. It is also about understanding when to change gears. Ahead of this season, the specific area Sudharsan focused on was how to approach a huge chase.
“The biggest awareness I had was: if we are going to chase something really big, how are we going to approach the innings, what are the decisions we can take?”
That is perhaps the clearest insight into his growth. Sai is no longer just thinking about surviving the Powerplay, or more specifically, going “bang, bang”. Nor is he thinking about batting deep.
Instead, he is thinking tempo, when to absorb pressure, when to attack and how to pace an innings that can tackle the220-plus scores that are increasingly common in IPL.
“We are not going all out,” he said. “We are assessing the condition, seeing what is required on that wicket and what will be the best score.” He is not trying to impose one style on every surface or game. He wants to read the conditions, understand the situation and then shift gears.
The same thinking applies across formats. While he admitted that the shift is difficult, he added that he thinks about these adjustments deeply.
“In white-ball cricket, the ball finishes in a different place. In red-ball cricket the ball finishes in a different place because of the angle from which they bowl,” he said. “There are many more…in the way you move your body and your shoulders.” Shuffling too far had the left-handed batter in trouble a few times on his debut Test series in England last year.
In an era where T20 batting often appears to be all about power, Sai’s batting offers an interesting combination of focusing on the old-school grind but also keeping up with the modern hustle.
