India's T20 World Cup heroes may have paid the price for a rushed return to the IPL, according to former West Indies pace legend Ian Bishop. The cricketing great believes the tournament's marquee Indian stars needed more than the 20-day break they received before diving into the high-pressure league.
The numbers don't lie. While Abhishek Sharma, Sanju Samson, and Ishan Kishan have shone, the rest of India's World Cup-winning batters have struggled for consistency. Even more telling? None of the champion bowlers feature among the top 20 wicket-takers this season. Mumbai Indians have felt this sting most acutely, with superstars like Suryakumar Yadav, Hardik Pandya, Jasprit Bumrah, and Tilak Varma struggling to find their rhythm.
"Speaking from the outside, what Bumrah, SKY, and Arshdeep put in to win that T20 World Cup at home must have been exhausting," Bishop explained during a recent interaction. "I would have liked to see some of those guys — particularly Bumrah, who was excellent in the World Cup — being given a break to refresh, sit back, analyze, and fine-tune the skills that would take them to another level."
Bishop points to Kolkata Knight Riders' Varun Chakravarthy as a perfect example of how rest can reignite performance. After an injury-forced break, the mystery spinner has returned with seven wickets in just four matches, proving that sometimes less is more.
The former pacer also turned his attention to the pitches dominating this IPL season. With 10 totals of 200-plus already chased down, the balance has tilted heavily in favor of batsmen. Bishop advocates for more variety in surfaces to keep the contest fair.
"I like the mix of pitches that a tournament can produce. I want to see some good batting surfaces where batters hold sway. But I also want surfaces like the one in Delhi or those in Lucknow that offer something for fast bowlers," he said. "Or something like the MI vs CSK game, where the ball gripped and brought Akeal Hosein and Noor Ahmad into the game."
For teams and players eyeing IPL 2026, Bishop's words carry weight. In a tournament where every match matters, knowing when to rest your stars might be just as important as knowing when to play them — especially for bowlers who carry the hopes of champion teams on their shoulders.