Punjab Kings pacer Lockie Ferguson revealed how playing in the IPL has helped him evolve and improve his game.
Speaking at the post match press conference after win against Afghanistan, Lockie Ferguson said that the IPL has pushed him to improve his bowling. He explained that batters quickly pick up slower balls, so he has been working on subtle variations that are harder to read. He added that on flat pitches, bowlers need to get movement in the air or off the pitch to trouble batters, and that is something he has worked on.
“But yeah look, I’ve learnt to develop my game – over here I found that IPL players are very good at picking up back of the hand slow balls. I’ve worked on a ball where my wrist doesn’t change too much,” Lockie Ferguson said.
“Particularly in this part of the world where the wickets are so good, you need to change the ball in the air or off the surface,” he added.
In the T20 World Cup 2026 match against Afghanistan, Lockie deceived Rahmanullah Gurbaz with a change of pace. It was a well disguised slower ball, where he rolled his fingers across the seam, and the ball cut back into the right hander. The slight grip off the surface caught Gurbaz by surprise as he pushed forward, and the variation did the trick.
There was a time when he used to give away runs at a high economy rate. In IPL 2023, his economy rate was 12.52, which improved to 10.62 in 2024. In 2025, it further came down to 9.17, showing that he has improved over time.
Overall, since the start of 2025, his economy rate in 33 T20 matches, in which he has taken 37 wickets, has been 7.85. Playing in the IPL has really improved his game.
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In the IPL, Lockie Ferguson has played for five different franchises and has taken 51 wickets in 49 matches. For Punjab Kings, he played only four matches and picked up five wickets, as he was mostly sidelined during the season due to a leg injury. One of his most talked about dismissals that season was of Shivam Dube, whom he deceived with a knuckle ball.
Given that Lockie bowls at speeds of around 145 kmph or more, his pace variations, especially the slower knuckle balls and leg cutters, have helped him trouble batters. He has been retained by Punjab Kings for IPL 2026 and could be a key pacer for them.
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