IPL 2026: Why Washington Sundar’s batting boom should not surprise anyone who watched him grow up

The Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 has been a season of many firsts for Gujarat Titans’ Washington Sundar.

This year, Washington has batted consistently in the middle order for the first time, scored his maiden IPL fifty and went past 200 runs in a campaign for the first time ever.

Washington has regularly walked in at No. 4-5 for GT this season, tallying 296 runs from 12 innings at an impressive average of 42.28. The left-handed batter has been an effective safety net for the Titans, following up on the side’s prolific top-order—Shubman Gill, B. Sai Sudharsan and Jos Buttler.

On Tuesday, Washington combatted tough batting conditions to score a match-winning fifty against his former side, Sunrisers Hyderabad, in Ahmedabad.

The 26-year-old’s uptick in T20 batting form might have surprised a few. But, for his father and childhood coach, M. Sundar, this is not an unexpected outcome.

Sundar, in an interview with Sportstar, began his observations with a disclaimer. “All that I am going to say is from the point of view as Washington’s coach and not as his father. I am not at all surprised by his batting this season. He has done nothing special in terms of preparation. He has worked hard, just like always. The only thing that has changed is that he has received more opportunities. That has translated to more runs,” said Sundar.

As strange as it might sound, this is the first time Washington has batted more than 10 innings in an IPL season—a hard-to-accept fact about one of India’s best all-rounders.

“Give him more chances, and he will score even more runs. This wasn’t the case in the past. I remember he scored a 14-ball 40 for SRH in 2022. That is a strike rate of almost 300. But still, they stuck with him lower down the order. It is almost impossible to produce runs if you get two or three balls to face in an innings,” he added.

While there were question marks over Washington’s T20 batting credentials ahead of this season, his capabilities in other formats, particularly in Test cricket, were never in doubt

After making his debut in the famous Gabba Test, Washington has been a reliable batter for India in the longer format. From 17 Tests, he has aggregated 885 runs, tallying five fifties and a hundred.

“We all know Washi started as a batter. He was an opener in age-group cricket. He has performed in Test cricket in almost all conditions—in Australia, in India and in England. What he has is exceptional timing. He always has an extra second while batting against pace. This has always been the case with him,” said Sundar.

Washington’s international credentials were central to the Titans’ choice in entrusting him with the crucial middle-order role, as explained by the team’s assistant coach Vijay Dahiya.

“As somebody who is a part of the Indian team, he knows what to do. When you come here, you come with a different mindset. At this stage, it’s more of a touch-up sort of thing. We always know what some of these boys are capable of. And they deliver when it matters the most,” said Dahiya in a press conference.

With his eye-catching batting outings in IPL 2026, Washington is pushing his case to be a regular for India in the shorter formats, too. Sundar, though, believes his son hasn’t fully unlocked his full potential with the bat in T20 cricket.

“In terms of modern batting, there is one thing he is lacking. He doesn’t move his back leg across to the middle/off stump. Without this, it is hard to generate extra power in your shots. I have tried to convince him to adopt this, but he hasn’t fully grasped it. Once he does that, it will unlock a new level of big-hitting for him,” explains Sundar.

Washington’s enhanced role this season stands in contrast with his limited presence in IPL 2025, when he played just six games. It came to a point where Sundar was forced into telling his son the hard truth.

“The 2025 season was a huge disappointment. Despite being a properly established international cricketer, GT didn’t use him properly. I actually told him to come out of GT. But that didn’t happen.”

While Washington has made huge ground as a batter in IPL 2026, his presence as a bowler has been limited. The off-spinner has been deployed in just four innings, bowling just 43 deliveries. Sundar believes this is a gross under-utilisation of Washington’s abilities.

“Even now, I am not at all satisfied with how they are using him as a bowler. He hasn’t finished his bowling quota even once this season. Against Rajasthan Royals, he gave away just 10 runs from two overs. Even then, he wasn’t allowed to complete his spell. As a bowler, he has so much more to offer. Teams have to start realising that,” adds Sundar.

Published on May 14, 2026