CHENNAI: When Priyansh Arya walked out to bat for Punjab Kings against Gujarat Titans in Ahmedabad on Tuesday, he knew what he was supposed to do. Smash the sheen off the white leather right through the powerplay.
In fact, that is what Arya is known for. Be it the Delhi Premier League where he hit six sixes in an over for South Delhi Superstarz against North Delhi Strikers. Or when he went berserk, hitting ten maximums on his way to a 43-ball 102 during the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy clash between Delhi and Uttar Pradesh. Hitting big sixes and ruining a bowler's day is his MO.
He did that two years ago during the 2023-24 SMAT season, but last year, Arya upgraded his arsenal. He made sure he wasn't playing cameos but cleaning out bowlers for sustained periods of time. This ability is what fetched him `3.8 crore at the mega auction.
Tuesday was his first chance to show the world what he could do at the biggest stage. And he did so in the very second ball of the match - a pick up shot off Mohammed Siraj for a four. That was just the beginning. Never mind the stardom of Siraj or KG Rabada, none of them were spared. Neither was Arshad Khan as Arya took him for 21 runs.
Such was the onslaught that after the powerplay, Shubman Gill turned to Rashid Khan and he was welcomed with a boundary by Arya. Two balls later, Rashid did have the last laugh with a leading edge lobbing towards the cover fielder. Arya, however, had done his deed — 47 off 23.
But he was not alone. If Arya was the spark that ignited the Punjab innings, Shashank Singh — one of the two players Punjab retained — finished off in spectacular fashion. With six balls to go, Shashank was on strike, batting on 22 from ten balls. At the other end was Shreyas Iyer, three runs short of a century (97 from 42). Over the next six balls, Shashank went 4,2,4,4,1w,4,4, taking his tally to 44 from 16. Shreyas couldn't help but laugh as they both walked back to the pavilion with the scoreboard reading 243/5.
This is just a sample from one team. Arya and Shashank are the representation of how this generation of Indians, even the uncapped ones bat in T20s. How over the last decade they have made power-hitting second nature and taking down bowling attacks at will. Ashutosh Sharma showed a similar trait along with young Vipraj Nigam when they took Delhi Capitals home in an improbable chase against Lucknow Super Giants on Monday.
Ashutosh's teammate and one of the senior most players in the league, Faf du Plessis, did not think twice to express his admiration. "Just as an overseas player, one thing that's remarkable for me to watch is the amount of Indian players that are so powerful and they've got the ability to just strike the ball so easy. You know, it wasn't an easy pitch (to bat). There was a lot going on, but the two boys at the back end there, just the way they came in and just effortlessly hit boundaries. Unbelievable," the South African said in a chat with the broadcasters on Monday.
It is something the Indian internationals have come to understand as well. The first thing Shashank's captain Shreyas told him in the 20th over was, 'Shashank, don't believe that I'll get a hundred, just finish it well'. "Kudos to him the way he spoke to me in the beginning of the over. I was just watching the ball and reacting to it. If I predetermine too much at this level, I'll be behind. I know my shots that I can back. I try that if it's in my range. Some good balls I won't hit, I'll focus on my strengths," Shashank told the broadcasters after the innings.
This did not happen overnight. Eighteen years of IPL has played a part in it. Almost a decade ago when Virat Kohli was asked about the youngsters coming up during the 2016 T20 World Cup, this is what he had to say: "Our youngsters also have anxiety in them but they have a lot more confidence compared to us (senior players) when we first came in. In this format, their preparation and mental set-up is very different from mine when I first came in. These guys have played IPL finals, performed in different conditions and have brought that confidence here."
In 2025, the number of uncapped Indians who are capable of hitting bowlers out of attack have grown exponentially. Abhishek Sharma and Nitish Reddy in Sunrisers Hyderabad, Dhruv Jurel and Shubham Dubey of Rajasthan Royals. There are Robin Minz and Naman Dhir in Mumbai Indians, GT have Rahul Tewatia... the list goes on. Some of them have played cameos already while the rest are yet to come to the party. And it is only a matter of time. For the tournament is after all the Indian Premier League.
