Since his IPL debut in 2019, Arshdeep has bowled 99 wide-line yorkers – joint second-most. | Photo Credit: REUTERS

In Punjab Kings’ first match of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 against Gujarat Titans, Arshdeep Singh was entrusted with the final over of the first innings. The left-arm pacer ended up bowling an 11-ball over—the joint-longest in IPL history. Across that over, Arshdeep largely tried to go short and wide to the left-handed Rahul Tewatia, which resulted in multiple wides; against Rashid Khan, he switched to yorkers, both at the stumps and outside off.

Twenty-four matches into the season, the PBKS bowler has delivered the most wides so far—18, four more than Mumbai Indians’ Shardul Thakur, who has 14. Of Shardul’s 14 wides, 13 have come while bowling wide outside off. In Arshdeep’s case, 11 of his 18 wides have come while operating around the tramline outside off.

What often shows up as poor execution is more often than not a calculated attempt to keep the ball away from the batter, with modern T20 batters favouring the leg side for their big shots. Even deliveries just outside off stump are now being whipped over the on-side with ease, thanks to the natural swing arc and high bat speeds.

In response, the bowlers have moved further away from the stumps, forcing batters to manufacture shots square of the wicket, particularly in the point and square regions, where power is harder to generate.

“If the batter is set and there’s a longer boundary on one side, you use that and keep the ball away from their strength. If the batter is new, you attack the stumps. When you feel the yorker is coming out well, you go for it. When the batter is set, you go wide. You just have to adapt before the batter knows what’s coming,” Arshdeep explained after the win over Mumbai Indians on Thursday, after picking three for 22, continuing to back his wide line tactic. 

That constant adjustment, though, often pushes bowlers closer to the wide line, where the margin for error is smaller.

One such option is the wide yorker, aimed just inside the wide line outside off stump. It is one of the hardest deliveries to execute because of the precision required—more often than not, it ends up as a full toss or a slot ball. But when nailed, it is extremely difficult to put away.

“That’s probably one of the hardest balls to bowl,” Delhi Capitals pacer Lungi Ngidi said. “You’ve got to land it on a yorker length, just inside the wide line – everything has to be perfect. If you land that ball, it’s a huge advantage in an over.”

Since his IPL debut in 2019, Arshdeep has bowled 99 wide-line yorkers – joint second-most with Harshal Patel, with Avesh Khan leading the list with 104.

Despite the risk, the tactic remains popular. In the 2021 season, there was a more than 46 per cent increase in attempts to bowl around the tramline, resulting in 114 wides—an 87 per cent jump from the previous season’s 61.

The shift became even more pronounced in 2022, when wides across the season rose from 521 to 861—jump of 340 (65.26 per cent). While part of that increase was due to the addition of two teams—Gujarat Titans and Lucknow Super Giants—and therefore more matches, venue conditions also played a major role.

That season was held across four venues in Maharashtra during the league stage—the Wankhede Stadium, DY Patil Stadium, Brabourne Stadium, and MCA International Stadium. Smaller boundaries, flatter pitches, and heavy dew made execution significantly harder for bowlers.

Since that spike, the increase from 2023 onwards has appeared more gradual. The average number of wides per season, which stood at around 530 until 2021, has now risen to roughly 810. The ongoing 2026 season is not included in that average, but it has already seen 289 wides in 24 matches and is projected to finish close to 900 at the current rate of six wides per innings.

What changed in 2023?

That season introduced the option for teams to review wides and no-balls. With technology in play, the margin for error has reduced. As Ngidi pointed out: “The margins are very small. The review system helps now because earlier, you could bowl it correctly and still get called for a wide.”

Ahead of the 2025 season, another tweak followed—the introduction of the moving wide guideline, where the line shifts with the batter’s position. This has made adjudication clearer for umpires and players alike. It made an immediate impact last season as the wides bowled while attempting the wide yorker dropped from 182 to 101.

For bowlers like Arshdeep, operating around the wide tramline is a risky trade-off, where the margin for error is minimal. But in a format where batters dictate terms, it is a risk they are willing to take. Because on the days it comes off, the wide yorker can set up the game for the bowling side. 

Published on Apr 17, 2026