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In match 55 PBKS vs DC during IPL 2026, fans were left perplexed watching Shreyas Iyer and Cooper Connelly hitting sixes even on the mistimed shots. Their bat swing did not seem very aggressive but still, the ball traveled far into the crowd. The audience wondered what type of normal shots travel such distances.

The explanation to this is not the strength of the shot or timing but the condition of the ground. Ground conditions play a crucial part for a shot going too far such as in HPCA stadium Dharamshala and Johannesburg.

Stadiums like HPCA in Dharamshala and The Wanderers in Johannesburg are at a high-altitude place. High altitude signifies the amount of the land situated way above sea level compared to any normal ground.

On high altitude the air molecules are less therefore the pressure in the ground is less. When a ball is hit into the air, normal cricket balls move in air, and air pressure resists their motion (known as drag) which in thin air is reduced and it thus decreases less rapidly. With well-timed shot, a ball moving a normal force can end up being a six.

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At the sea level stadiums, the air in and around is far denser. More air molecules packed in together so more resistance for the ball. The extra force is too quick in pulling the ball down right after it's been hit.

With the similar shot in Dharamshala or Johannesburg it could be clearing the boundary, and it could be that it's not even reaching the ropes at sea level grounds. It's not necessarily the power behind the shot; it is also how much is the air drag on the ball?

This is where we see players such as Shreyas Iyer and Cooper Connelly seeing shots traveled a significant amount further than anticipated.