Record runs, record sixes, modest final: Explaining IPL 2026's biggest contradiction

Key points

• After a season that rewrote IPL batting records - 27,450 runs, 1,426 sixes, 65 scores of 200-plus and nine successful 220-plus chases - the 2026 final produced a modest aggregate of 316 runs.
• Was it an anomaly or part of a larger trend?
• The TOI Data Desk analysis of all 19 IPL finals reveals that the belief that finals are traditionally low-scoring is largely a myth.
• Yet recent seasons suggest title deciders may be gradually trending below the scoring pace set during the league stage.