Analysis: why spin is winning the middle overs this season

Watch any game this season and a pattern appears. Batting sides race through the powerplay, then the scoring slows sharply once the field spreads and the spinners come on.

Across the first 13 games, teams have scored at a little under seven an over between overs 7 and 15, compared with more than eight in the powerplay and almost ten at the death.

The pitches at Kirtipur and Mulpani have been drier than last season, and the ball has gripped more as games go on. That makes the middle overs a hard time to attack, especially for new batters.

The sides at the top of the table all bowl two specialist spinners. Blaze took four wickets in five overs of spin against Tuskers on Friday, and Strikers have used spin for more than half of their middle-overs deliveries.

Teams with only one frontline spinner have had to use part-time bowlers or bring their seamers back early, and the runs have come quickly.

Expect more teams to pick a second spinner for the rest of the league stage, and watch for left-handed batters being sent in early to attack the off-spinners.