NEW DELHI: T20 cricket has changed dramatically over the years. What once looked like a simple contest of timing and power has now turned into a format shaped by craft, experimentation and quick decision-making. Batters are increasingly building their innings around refined swings, unconventional shot-making and heavy use of lower-hand power.
As batting standards rise, bowlers have had to evolve just as fast. Wide yorkers, slower balls, knuckle-style deliveries and well-disguised variations are now common tools for surviving the pressure of a high-scoring match. Even the art of fielding has been transformed, with boundary catches, sharp relays and athletic saves becoming game-changing moments rather than highlights.
Quick facts
- The sport’s shift: from raw ball-hitting to technique, innovation and adaptability.
- Bowling responses include wide yorkers, slower deliveries, knuckle balls and tactical variations.
- Fielding has elevated with boundary catches, relay work and instinctive stops.
- Young names mentioned: Vaibhav Suryavanshi, Priyansh Arya, Abhishek Sharma.
- Bowlers highlighted: Sakib Hussain, Prince Yadav, Praful Hinge, Anshul Kamboj.
- Experienced players (35-plus): Virat Kohli (35), Bhuvneshwar Kumar (36), Krunal Pandya (35).
- Kohli’s view: T20 is “a different game altogether” and not merely a different format.
- Examples used by Kohli: Sachin Tendulkar and Graeme Smith.
So, has the shortest format become only a youngsters’ domain? Not at all. While teenage standouts and emerging talents such as Vaibhav Suryavanshi, Priyansh Arya and Abhishek Sharma are currently thriving, bowlers including Sakib Hussain, Prince Yadav, Praful Hinge and Anshul Kamboj are also carving out a major impact with the ball.
At the same time, seasoned campaigners—particularly those who have crossed the 35-year mark—are still matching the pace and intensity of the new generation. Their ability to read batters, manage risk and execute under pressure remains central to how teams find momentum in T20 matches.
Veterans still shaping the tempo
Virat Kohli, who is 35, continues to hit with the same hunger and force he showed earlier in his career. Even now, he is among the key run-makers for Royal Challengers Bengaluru and is currently the franchise’s leading run-scorer this season.
Bhuvneshwar Kumar, at 36, remains a prominent presence with the ball and is listed among the leading wicket-takers this season. Krunal Pandya, also 35, has added a game-changing dimension for Royal Challengers Bengaluru on multiple occasions during the campaign.
Speaking in a podcast with Royal Challengers Bengaluru, Kohli said he feels T20 cricket has transformed into something entirely different. In his words, it is not simply a different format, but “a different game altogether.”
He described the intensity of every delivery, saying each ball carries the sense that momentum can swing quickly. Kohli compared the pressure to playing a high-intensity Champions League football match, where one mistake—like a bad pass or a slip—can quickly turn the contest. He also stressed how talent levels are soaring, with youngsters arriving and demonstrating their ability to hit explosively, having grown up on a more powerful style of cricket.
Kohli then pointed to the way legends achieved success through different approaches. He referenced Sachin Tendulkar and Graeme Smith to underline that there are multiple paths to the same goal. Kohli explained that players have used distinct stances and targeted different scoring areas, and he gave an example of Smith—who, in Kohli’s view, seemed difficult to hit through the off-side with a straight bat, yet was seen as virtually unbeatable when he attacked from the other direction.
He added that Smith went on to become both a successful Test player and a successful Test captain, reinforcing the idea that belief in one’s own method matters even when it differs from others. Kohli also said that T20 success is not limited to a perfect alignment of technique, referencing the stereotype of AB de Villiers’ seamless execution and the straight-line bat path often associated with Tendulkar.
Instead, Kohli argued that players can find ways to succeed even without those exact abilities or that specific style. He linked this to his own experience and also brought Bhuvneshwar into the discussion, noting that modern cricket keeps evolving and changing as the nature of the game demands.
He closed by reiterating that T20 cricket began as an evolution of the broader game, but now it has almost become a separate contest altogether. Kohli said KL and he had spoken recently, and KL’s message to him was that it feels like a different game, not even just a different format.
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