IPL introduces two bouncers per over for bowlers
In a bid to level the playing field between bat and ball, the IPL 2024 season is set to implement a significant change, allowing bowlers to unleash two bouncers per over. This alteration, trialed during the recent 2023-24 Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, India’s domestic T20 tournament, will aim to infuse greater balance in the game. Bowlers will now possess the freedom to deploy a second bouncer in an over, even if one has been bowled earlier.
Safety concerns had long deterred the adoption of this adjustment, but with successful trial runs and persistent suggestions, the change will finally take effect. Jaydev Unadkat, the experienced campaigner from Saurashtra, renowned for his contributions across various IPL teams, has lauded this modification. Unadkat, who has listed his base price at INR 50 lakh for the upcoming IPL 2024 auction, expressed his support for the alteration.
“I do feel two bouncers an over is very much useful, and I feel it’s one of those things which gives the bowler an added advantage over batters. Someone who is weak against bouncers will have to be better at it and then it will give the bowler one more weapon in their armoury. So, I feel it’s a very small change with a huge impact and as a bowler I feel it’s very important to have that rule,” Unadkat said as quoted by ESPNcricinfo.
Impact Player rule stays
Furthermore, the Impact Player rule, introduced in IPL 2023, will continue to be a part of the tournament. This rule mandates teams, in addition to their playing XI, to name four substitutes during the toss. From these substitutes, one can be designated as the Impact Player. The regulation restricts overseas players, permitting a maximum of four in the playing XI, a cornerstone upheld since the league’s inception.
However, the Impact Player rule has subtly altered team strategies, particularly affecting the role and value of all-rounders. Players like Venkatesh Iyer, Vijay Shankar, and Shivam Dube, renowned for their dual abilities, predominantly featured as batsmen in the previous season, reflecting the shifting dynamics in team compositions.
