Runs have become the league’s answer to dopamine-inducing reels, and their ever-increasing, ever-consistent supply is slowly desensitising fans. You tune into a random IPL game and, almost instantly, you’ll see something spectacular. Abhishek Sharma carving one inside-out over cover. A 15-year-old launching a length ball over mid-wicket. Tim David pulling one over the roof of Chinnaswamy. Shreyas Iyer sending one hurtling towards the commentary box. Read more: MCC clarify why Angkrish Raghuvanshi's controversial obstructing the field dismissal was fair It is a testament to how far batting has come. But it is also stripping away contrast. Every boundary begins to look like the last. Every match feels like a continuation of the previous one. There are outliers on occasions, like Delhi Capitals being reduced to 8-6 by RCB, or the Super Over finish between LSG and KKR in a chase of 155. But they are far and few in between. The IPL is still fun, but it’s somehow getting boring at the same time. There are structural reasons for this: the most significant being the standardisation of pitches across the country. Dwindling identities and identical patterns Through the 2010