---
type: story
title: "18 Seasons: What Changed Between IPL 2008 and IPL 2026"
description: >
  The first IPL match was played on April 18, 2008. McCullum scored 158*.
  In 2026, Suryavanshi posted a powerplay strike rate of 233.6. The numbers
  between those two moments tell you how much the game rewrote itself.
tags:
  - IPL
  - history
  - evolution
  - batting
  - bowling
status: active
last_verified: 2026-06-25
timestamp: 2026-06-25
license: CC-BY-4.0
source_system: CricketStudio
source_boundary: public_open_data
canonical_page: https://okf.cricketstudio.ai/stories/ipl-2008-vs-2026-eighteen-seasons/
resource: https://okf.cricketstudio.ai/stories/ipl-2008-vs-2026-eighteen-seasons/
entity_id: cricketstudio:story:ipl-2008-vs-2026-eighteen-seasons
dataset_version: 2026-06-11
provenance:
  source: >
    Historical IPL 2008–2022 data from Cricsheet CC BY 3.0.
    IPL 2026 batting/bowling figures from CricketStudio IPL 2026 snapshot, version 2026-06-11.
    McCullum 158* (April 18 2008): Cricsheet CC BY 3.0, public domain.
    Suryavanshi powerplay SR: CricketStudio IPL 2026 phase-split dataset.
    Impact Player Rule (IPL 2023): BCCI IPL Playing Conditions, public record.
    IPL expansion (2022, 8→10 teams): BCCI public announcement, October 2021.
  confidence: high
  notes: >
    Batting averages (~145 and ~172) are approximate first-innings averages.
    The 200+ innings percentage (6.99% and 29.68%) is computed across all IPL innings
    in each era from Cricsheet CC BY 3.0 and CricketStudio post-2023 dataset.
related:
  - ../stories/ipl-scoring-revolution.md
  - ../stories/impact-player-lineup-revolution.md
  - ../stories/mccullum-april-18-2008.md
  - ../dossier/ipl-2022-expansion.md
  - ../dossier/how-has-ipl-batting-changed.md
---

# 18 Seasons: What Changed Between IPL 2008 and IPL 2026

## The Question Nobody Asked

If you put IPL 2008 and IPL 2026 side by side as data tables, what would the numbers say changed most?

## What the Data Says

**The aggregate numbers, 2008 vs 2026 era (Cricsheet CC BY 3.0 + CricketStudio):**

| Metric | 2008 baseline | 2026 era |
|--------|--------------|----------|
| Average first-innings runs | ~145 | ~172 |
| Innings scoring 200+ | 6.99% | 29.68% |
| Sixes per match | 10.5 | 17.72 |
| Teams in IPL | 8 | 10 (since 2022) |
| Highest individual innings (powerplay SR) | McCullum 216.4 SR (full innings) | [Suryavanshi](https://players.cricketstudio.ai/players/vaibhav-suryavanshi) 233.6 SR (overs 1–6 only) |

*(Sources: Cricsheet CC BY 3.0 for 2008–2022 historical; CricketStudio IPL 2026 dataset for 2026 figures; BCCI for franchise count; Cricsheet CC BY 3.0 for McCullum SR)*

**The franchise map change:**

- **2008**: 8 franchises including Deccan Chargers (terminated 2012, replaced by SRH 2013), Kochi Tuskers Kerala (1 season, 2011), Pune Warriors India (2011–2013)
- **2022**: Expanded to 10 teams with Gujarat Titans and Lucknow Super Giants — GT won the IPL in their debut season
- **2026**: 10 teams, with RCB winning back-to-back titles (2025–2026)

**Three rule changes that define the gap:**

| Change | Year | Effect |
|--------|------|--------|
| DRS (Decision Review System) | Phased in from 2018 | Reduced umpiring errors, changed game flow |
| No-ball call outs | Various | Improved accuracy |
| **Impact Player Rule** | 2023 | 200+ innings jumped from 6.99% to 29.68% |

## The Wow

The gap between McCullum's 216.4 SR (across a full 73-ball innings in 2008) and [Suryavanshi](https://players.cricketstudio.ai/players/vaibhav-suryavanshi)'s 233.6 powerplay SR (across 223 powerplay balls in 2026) is the most precise measurement of how T20 batting has evolved.

McCullum's innings was a world-stopping event. It opened the first match of the first IPL season and showed cricket fans what the format could produce. Every scorecard that referenced 200+ in the years after pointed back to McCullum as the proof of concept.

[Suryavanshi](https://players.cricketstudio.ai/players/vaibhav-suryavanshi)'s 233.6 is not from a single innings. It is his sustained powerplay rate across 223 balls — nearly a full tournament's worth of powerplay deliveries. He exceeded McCullum's all-time landmark strike rate, not in one special match, but as his normal operating rate in overs 1–6.

18 years. The extraordinary became the average.

## What It Doesn't Say

The 2026 era figures reflect the Impact Player Rule's structural contribution. The increase in 200+ innings is not purely because batters got better — it is partly because lineups changed, batting positions 8 and 9 are now stronger, and the team structure is different. See: [impact-player-lineup-revolution.md](../stories/impact-player-lineup-revolution.md)

Comparing McCullum's innings SR (216.4) with Suryavanshi's multi-match powerplay SR (233.6) is illustrative context, not a direct comparison. McCullum's single-innings rate was computed across one spectacular match. Suryavanshi's is a sustained rate across many deliveries and many opponents.

The 10-team expansion in 2022 changed the schedule from 60 to 74 matches per season. This affects records, averages, and team comparisons that rely on total innings counts.

## Related Concepts

- [IPL Scoring Revolution](../stories/ipl-scoring-revolution.md)
- [The Rule That Rewrote the IPL Lineup](../stories/impact-player-lineup-revolution.md)
- [McCullum: April 18, 2008](../stories/mccullum-april-18-2008.md)
- [How Has IPL Batting Changed](../dossier/how-has-ipl-batting-changed.md)
- [IPL 2022 Expansion](../dossier/ipl-2022-expansion.md)
