Wouldn't Be Surprised If 300-Run Mark Is Crossed Very Soon In IPL: Dinesh Karthik

Veteran wicketkeeper-batter Dinesh Karthik on Saturday said the 300-frontier will be breached in the IPL sooner rather than later, highlighting the evolving standard of batting in the league over the past 17 years. Sunrisers Hyderabad's total of 287/3 against Royal Challengers Bengaluru stands as the highest total in the IPL right now, while the total of 300 was achieved only once in the history of the shortest format. Nepal made 314 for three against Mongolia in the Hangzhou Asian Games last year.

"I think the ceiling is constantly getting reworked and they're pushing it much higher," Karthik said ahead of RCB's clash against the Kolkata Knight Riders at Eden Gardens on Sunday.

"The number of 250s in the first 32 matches of the tournament has been the highest ever in the history of any tournament that's played across the world in this format.

"It tells you that people are a lot more fearless, people take on the boundaries a lot more. I wouldn't be surprised if 300 is crossed very, very soon or in this year (of IPL) itself," he added.

Karthik said the obvious reason was the impact player rule that has bolstered teams' batting.

"You're batting much deeper, which puts that much more pressure on the bowlers. The freedom to keep playing shots has liberated a lot of the young boys who are out there and they're all playing some phenomenal shots.

"The standard of batting if you take in the last 17 years this tournament has existed, it is unreal how well it's grown," added the cricketer-turned-commentator.

Having won just one out of seven matches, RCB's playoff hopes have diminished as they have to win all their remaining matches to stand a chance to finish inside the top four.

Karthik, however, said if their batters find form then "sky is the limit" for them.

"The belief is definitely there. If there's no belief there is no point playing a tournament like IPL. Every year there will be a couple of teams at this stage trying to find their feet and there have been so many instances when they picked up and won matches.

"We believe that if we can do something special we could get that momentum and use that to our confidence.

"You need a lot of characters and players who are consistently doing well and the players who have not started doing well to find form. And when you get a few players firing then the sky is the limit for you," he added.

RCB's string of defeats has not brought their confidence down and Karthik said they remain a close-knit unit.

"The team is very closely knit as a unit. I think that's something that Andy Flower and Faf Du Plessis have tried really hard.

"The best part about it is that Virat is such a good leader that he's doing all that he can to propel the team, keep it in good spirits, be it having a laugh and a joke or be it to speak to players and try and get their mood up a little bit.

"We're trying our best, it's something that we can definitely tell and I think all our fans who are watching are aware that we're doing everything we can. That's the sport, not everything goes in your way always," he said.

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