From Vaibhav Sooryavanshi to Priyansh Arya: Six IPL batters who play cricket like golf

Weather ePaper Today’s Paper Journalism of Courage Home ePaper Politics Explained Opinion India Business Premium Cities UPSC Entertainment Sports World Lifestyle Tech Subscribe Sign In TrendingCricketIPL 2026Live ScoreIPL 2026 Points Table Advertisement function checkAndLoadWindowSizeScript() { if (window.jQuery) { // jQuery is loaded, include your script jQuery(document).ready(function($) { // Your existing script for checking window width if (window.innerWidth) var page_w = window.innerWidth; else if (document.all) var page_w = document.body.clientWidth; if (page_w > 1024) { $(".add-left, .add-right").show(); } else { $(".add-left, .add-right").hide(); } }); } else { // jQuery is not loaded, check again after 0.2 seconds setTimeout(checkAndLoadWindowSizeScript, 200); } } // Initial call to the function checkAndLoadWindowSizeScript(); NewsSportsCricketFrom Vaibhav Sooryavanshi to Priyansh Arya: Six IPL batters who play cricket like golf From Vaibhav Sooryavanshi to Priyansh Arya: Six IPL batters who play cricket like golf The power required to clear boundaries in the T20 cricket has resulted in batters using bat swing instead of footwork to achieve the desired result. Here are six batters in IPL who use the bat swing like golf to hit sixes. Written by: Shankar Narayan3 min readApr 21, 2026 08:00 AM IST Abhishek Sharma, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi (C), and Heinrich Klaasen are some of the batters who swing bat like golf. (CREIMAS/BCCI) Make us preferred source on Google Whatsapp twitter Facebook Reddit PRINT In modern-day T20 cricket and specially a league like IPL, batters are increasingly generating power through bat swing instead of using footwork to clear boundaries.  A stable base and a clean extension of the hands are allowing them to access various scoring zones and score four and sixes at will, without needing to step down the pitch often. Here are six IPL batters who have been successful using more bat swing than footwork: India and SRH opener Abhishek Sharma’s six-hitting has evolved, with help from Yuvraj Singh and Brian Lara, with the left-hander altering his grip and hitting shape. Sharma swings freely across the line, with most of his maximums coming towards long-on and down the ground, while also accessing lofted drives over cover without excessive footwork. RR opening batsman Vaibhav Sooryavanshi’s power comes more from his bat speed than movement. The left-hander uses a free swing to generate power, while staying balanced at the crease. The 15-year-old has largely hit sixes in the long-on to square leg arc with a clean downswing of the bat rather than expansive footwork. Klaasen’s six-hitting technique is based on a repeatable bat swing and a strong base. He uses hand speed and hip drive to generate power, staying deep in his crease and hitting through the line against spin. Most of his sixes come between long-on and midwicket, where his extension allows him to hit good length balls consistently. The PBKS opener’s method is built on a clean bat swing, which allows him to hit through the line without the need for big strides. He generally hits sixes on the on-side, consistently looking to clear square leg and mid-wicket regions of the ground and occasionally uses the pick-up flick, relying more on his extension over footwork. The RR opener’s six-hitting is based on early reading of length and bat flow. Jaiswal relies on a high backlift and powerful downswing to stay balanced and hit through the line, with his strong backfoot game allowing him to get back quickly and pull over midwicket. Samson’s improved game, especially against spin, is based on a method involving minimal movement and maximum bat speed. The right-hander trusts his base and lets his hands dominate, generating power without over-committing forward. Samson can hit sixes on both sides of the ground, clearing boundaries with timing and a free-flowing swing. Based in Mumbai, Shankar Narayan has over five years of experience and his reporting has ranged from the Ranji Trophy to ICC World Cups, and he writes extensively on women’s cricket. ... Read More Stay updated with the latest sports news across Cricket, Football, Chess, and more. Catch all the action with real-time live cricket score updates and in-depth coverage of ongoing matches.