India batter Karun Nair believes the ultra-aggressive approach seen in IPL 2026 is not just a short-term trend, but one that could reshape domestic T20 cricket for years to come. With teams regularly crossing the 200-run mark and chasing down big totals with ease, the season underlined how quickly batting mindsets are changing across the format.

Karun said the IPL has now become the benchmark for fearless batting, with players beginning to think differently at the crease. In his view, that shift in intent will soon spill over into other domestic competitions as well, forcing batters to be more positive from the outset.

“The IPL is certainly setting the trend. The players are thinking in different ways. So, I think we’ll see similar things in every tournament going forward,” Karun Nair, who captains Coastal Kings Mangaluru in the Maharaja Trophy KSCA T20, said in a release.

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His comments came after Coastal Kings Mangaluru’s clash with Hubli Tigers was washed out without a single ball being bowled, but the rain delay did little to change his broader view on how the game is evolving. While he expects the IPL to influence domestic cricket, Karun also admitted that copying those batting numbers elsewhere is not always realistic.

Karun Nair 🗣️ : “The lPL is certainly setting the trend. The players are thinking in different ways. So, I think we’ll see similar things in every tournament going forward,” pic.twitter.com/qNleMosSvu

— Vipin Tiwari (@Vipintiwari952) June 22, 2026

“Yes, it’s difficult to replicate that because in IPL, the wickets are different and the bowlers are quicker, so the ball goes further. There are different factors so it will not always translate, but the mindset has changed for everyone,” he said.

The impact of this new batting template was impossible to ignore in IPL 2026. Youngster Vaibhav Sooryavanshi set the tone with his explosive strokeplay, finishing the season with 776 runs at a staggering strike rate of 237.31. Even experienced stars had to adjust, with Virat Kohli recording a strike rate of 165.85, the best of his IPL career.

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Karun, retained by Delhi Capitals for ₹50 lakh, had a quiet season and featured in only two matches. Still, his assessment of the modern T20 game reflects a clear reality: aggressive batting is no longer a trend in the IPL alone, but the new standard across formats.