In IPL, bowlers need to be aggressive: PBKS’ Ferguson

Punjab Kings pacer Lockie Ferguson says bowlers will get some stick in a high-scoring tournament like IPL but they need to find ways to remain aggressive and restrict the flow of runs to be successful in the gruelling league.

The domination of batters has been so absolute in IPL 2026 that even a target in excess of 230 or even 250 often did not feel safe.

“IPL is just sort of a new competition on its own in the style of cricket that’s played here. It’s obviously high-scoring. So, you’re going to get hit for boundaries. That’s part of being a bowler,” Ferguson told media ahead of Punjab’s match against Gujarat Titans.

“It’s how do you bounce back the next ball and try to execute again. So, as long as the bowlers are being aggressive, trying to find ways to get batters out whilst also restricting runs, then they’re going to be in a good mindset,” he added.

So how does a bowler do that — depending on raw pace or variations?

“I mean, extra pace comes with its benefits. Sometimes the faster you bowl, the faster it goes to the rope. But it’s an X-factor. You know, if you can get extra pace, then obviously the batter has less time to react. “And then, you know, every modern-day cricketer has variables. They change the pace of the ball. They have different change-ups. So, it’s about adapting as much as possible and trying to learn what’s working on that particular day,” he said.

Ferguson joined PBKS a wee bit late after being with his wife — Emma — to welcome their first child — Beau. The Kiwi quick thanked the franchise for allowing him some family time.

“I chose to have some time at home with my family, my newborn. And, you know, I can’t thank Punjab Kings enough for allowing me to do that. It’s obviously a hard decision from a cricket point of view to take time out to spend it at home,” he said.

But the 34-year-old admitted that joining IPL midway was not an easy job.

“Obviously, it’s not that easy coming from training at home straight into the IPL. It’s a tough competition at the best of times. But, yeah, this is the challenge we face.” The PBKS suffered their first defeat of IPL 2026 when Rajasthan Royals scaled down a 223-run target for a six-wicket win at Mullanpur.

But Ferguson did not read too much into that result.

“Execution is the key, right? So, we’re trying to execute. Some days, not so good. But at the same time, the skill sets that are involved with this bowling attack led by Arshdeep and Chahal, I thought the spinners were fantastic last game.

“So, trying to make little adjustments, trying to tighten up in areas. We know how within the IPL, how small margins can look a lot bigger on TV. But, you know, we’re just trying to tighten up on areas, try to double down on our planning,” he added.

The Delhi Capitals’ pacer Kyle Jamieson’s animated celebration after dismissing RR’s Vaibhav Sooryavanshi on Friday has opened up heated debates in social media.

But Ferguson supported his pace bowling colleague from New Zealand.

“Kyle’s a good mate of mine. He got pretty fired up, which is pretty understandable. It’s not easy to get wickets in this part of the world and that was a big one. So it’s part of the game.

“Fans like to see the passion. As a fan of the game, you like to see players getting passionate, players showing emotion. He’s obviously a big guy too. So when a big guy has a lot of emotions, it looks even bigger,” he said.