When bowlers turn philanthropists in the IPL like Kamboj’s 63-run charity spell

By K.R. Nayar 

During the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) – Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) match on May 15, 2026, in Lucknow, CSK’s bowler Anshul Kamboj was hit for 63 runs in 2.4 overs. He has earned the dubious record of being the bowler who has given away the maximum runs while representing CSK. Fortunately, he did not become the bowler who has conceded the most runs in the IPL, as that record remains with Jofra Archer, who, while representing Rajasthan Royals (RR) in 2025 against Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH), was hit for 76 runs in four overs. Why do bowlers become so expensive and unable to control the free flow of runs from their overs?

It is not that the bowlers who are hit are inexperienced or have no clue on how to prevent the flow of runs. Second on the list of bowlers to have conceded the maximum runs is SRH’s Mohammed Shami, who in 2025 was hit for 75 runs in four overs. For Kamboj to give away 63 runs in less than three overs would have made Chennai fans wonder whether he is a bowler or a philanthropist. These are instances when a bowler fears the ball more than the batter because, when delivered, it can land in the crowd or disappear out of the ground.

Jofra Archer who bowled the most expensive spell 

If ever anyone plans to make a portrait of a helpless captain, it is during such moments. After Kamboj was hit for 28 runs in the fifth over of the match, his captain Ruturaj Gaikwad still gave him the 17th over, with LSG needing 24 for victory. Kamboj was then hit for four consecutive sixes by Nicholas Pooran, as if he had been called to bowl just to quickly finish the match. He was in such a magnanimous mood that even if the target had been 36 runs, he would have given away that too.

Mohammed Shami - second most expensive spell 

Punjab Kings’ (PBKS) Arshdeep Singh has also donated runs without wanting a receipt. He has twice conceded 60 runs in four overs. Royal Challengers Bangalore’s (RCB) Bhuvneshwar Kumar too gave away the same number of runs in 2024, but has become very miserly this season. These are occasions when a bowler may want to know whether the pitch is flat. There are times he may be asking himself if he is flat. These are also occasions when a captain pleads for a dot ball instead of a wicket.

Bhuvneshwar Kumar 

It is a known fact that the IPL is a bowler’s nightmare since the pitches are often prepared for big scores. Bowlers are thus meant to be thrashed, but a few manage to rise above the carnage. The truly intelligent bowlers are those who absorb the blows without letting their shoulders sink — men who think even when being thumped.

A good bowler will need to first admit that T20 cricket is brutal, and that the margin for error is thinner than a strand of hair. To err while bowling a yorker is common and pardonable, but repeatedly bowling on a batter’s favourite spot is not. When bowlers do that, the fielders and captain look like poets or novelists, gazing skywards deep in thought. One bad ball is forgivable; six in a row is generosity. To remain a strike bowler, one should have the skill to forget the bad ball and produce a beauty in the next, giving his best.

IPL’s irony is such that if Kamboj is now being picked for severe criticism, don’t be surprised if he crafts a match-winning spell soon. He has bowled well in some of the matches in this edition. It is the bowler who declares that he will show his opponents in the next match who the real winner is. No bowler can survive the IPL if his positivity is also hit out of him along with the thrashing. Slipping from hope to helplessness should be prevented.