- Cricket connoisseurs, experts, ex-players, and crazy fans closely following the fortunes of the Indian Premier League (IPL) T20 format would have noticed how the batting has become so much easier while setting the target as well as chasing. Mind you, the shortest format of the sport is always meant to be entertaining, with a plethora of fours and sixes marking the game. While white-ball cricket has become the most fan-friendly format with the entertainment quotient fully on display, the pundits of the game are questioning the lack of context between the bat and the ball on expected lines. It’s a prerequisite to expect keen context between the two opposing teams with the bat and the ball, leaving no stone unturned in showcasing their superiority.
PC: The Financial Express
- Nonetheless, the extreme popularity, reach, penetration, following, and craze about the T20 format is largely built on the maddening crowds who throng the stadiums in huge numbers, expecting to be treated to a feast of boundaries. The big business houses are pumping in unheard-of money into the format, allowing the BCCI to rake in a humongous amount of revenue. In line with this philosophy, the boundary lines are shortened, the heavier bats aid the batters, the field restrictionsare in place, and the flat pitches allow the batting to exert enormous pressure on the fielding sides. The resultant outcome is that the batters are not afraid to go after the bowling right from the first delivery of the innings with absolute clarity. First ball sixes are the norm now!
PC: ABP Live – ABP News
- Add to the batting-friendly approach adopted by the IPL governing council, the impact substitute rule, and it becomes clear that the batting is heavily favoured as compared to the bowling. While the paying spectators are not crying foul over the lopsided approach of the T20, the sides are making earnest efforts vis-à-vis ensuing the bowlers devise an effective way to overcome the challenges posed by the batting-friendly environment. Of course, due credit should accrue to the bowlers from all the franchises for unearthing effective measures to not only curtail the marauding batters from tonking them to all parts of the ground, but also restrict the free flow of runs by taking wickets at regular intervals. Has this approach been successful?
PC: Outlook India
- Whatever the format of the game, taking wickets always places the batting side on the back foot. Losing wickets also slows down the run rate considerably. Now, the bowlers have a variety of tricks up their sleeves to not only slow down the run rate but also build pressure on the batters to commit mistakes to lose wickets. However, the ease with which the boundaries are cleared by the batters leaves an impression that the bowlers are often forced to play second fiddle in a sport where the battle between the two must be at par rather than one-sided. It’s not out of place to mention that the IPL governing council and the BCCI should make earnest efforts at ensuring the contest is not favouring the batting alone. For a start, the impact substitute rule should be removed from the next season. This will allow all-rounders to thrive.
