The 2024 edition of the IPL has seen hitters step up to a new level - with 200-plus totals becoming routine and 200-plus chases being achieved too. Is this an inflection point for the format? And how should we be talking about the sport if this is the new normal?  Support 81allout on Ko-Fi Talking Points: Why has this IPL seen a sudden jump in totals? Has the impact-player rule played a significant role in raising totals? Have teams found more hitters to accomodate in the XIs? Jake Fraser-McGurk - the prototypical T20 hitter The effect of non-capped Indian players like Abhishek Sharma, Ashutosh Sharma  Why Dhoni bats so late in the game: the effect of platooning  What does it mean when you wish for a balance between bat and ball in T20s? Why higher scores suggest the hitters are more in control of their shot-making Participants: Siddhartha Vaidyanathan (@sidvee) Mahesh Sethuraman (@cornerd) Ashoka (@ABVan) Karthikeya Date (@cricketingview) | Substack | ESPNcricinfo --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Buy The Summer Game by Gideon Haigh (republished by 81allout) India (hardback) | India (paperback) | India (e-copy) Australia (paperback, e-copy) USA (hardback, paperback, e-copy) UK (hardback, paperback, e-copy) Canada (hardback, paperback, e-copy) --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Related: Hitting v Batting: the choice that dictates the shape of a T20 contest - 81allout podcast What’s the deal with T20 bowling? - 81allout podcast Jake Fraser-McGurk, the ideal T20 batter - Sidharth Monga - ESPNcricinfo How Do International Cricketers Do At The IPL? - Kartikeya Date - Cricketingview