The Impact Sub rule it has procured growing voices of dissent in the IPL. However, it is only one aspect of an otherwise loaded in favour of the batsmen IPL in 2024. Bowlers are feeling the heat and some of have openly spoken about it. Siraj may find himself in the periphery for having criticised one of the board’s rules. The IPL 2024 has become a monster in the sense the batsmen are ruling the roost. We know that cricket is a game for the batsmen but the IPL has taken to obscene levels hitherto unforeseen. So much so that totals in excess of 200 are the norm rather than the exception. I feel sorry and pity the bowlers who has the enviable task of running up and bowling at their full tilt only to see the ball soar over the boundary.
I have said this before and I will write this again. Cricket unless there is some sort of help for the bowlers, is boring to watch. This is what is happening at the IPL. Everyone points a finger at the impact player aspect of the tournament. Remember, this is an IPL only rule and is not part of the international game.
Comments from some of the players
Axar Patel says, “Because of the Impact sub rule, everyone gets one more batsman so they think that they will use the batsman in case, the batting unit doesn’t go well. And whosoever comes to play, they don’t take much time and start (hitting) from the first ball because they know that they have a player in seventh or eighth place.
“That is why I am not a big fan of the rule, because as an allrounder I know that they will either take a proper batsman or a bowler, not an allrounder.”
Mukesh Kumar says, “If 12 players are not playing at the international level, then what is the need of it in IPL? With 12 players, even if four wickets are down, the next player is not scared of getting out or making the team stable, they come and play their shots. So either the nature of tracks should be changed or 12 players should not be allowed.”
The big one. Rohit Sharma said that he is not a fan of the rule and that it impacts allrounders in the format. Ricky Ponting admitted that “this is a bit of a nightmare”.
My view
These are all valid and legitimate concerns. The current IPL has become so swashbuckling that it does not matter whether the team is 1 wicket down or 4 wickets down. They still end up with a score beyond 200. Teams are willing to take risks at the top of the order and in the middle. Fours and sixes are what keep the audience engaged. This IPL has got that base covered but at what cost? The team that hits the maximum number of sixes, wins the game. It is more or less a lottery. One would think that the BCCI will learn their lesson and do away with the rule but common sense tells us that that is not happen. They will at the most look to tweak the rule and make the batsmen the paramount part of the game.
Other issues
The tall scores are not just because of the impact player rule. There are other issues too. It seems that the boundaries are either brought in even on small grounds. This is stupid. None of the grounds in India are more than 80MTS. With the huge bats at the disposal of the batsmen, clearing them is not at all a challenge. Mishit goes over the boundary when it should be caught some yards from the boundary line. 7 of the top 8 scores have come this season. So much so that 300 is a real possibility. That is taking batting to the stratosphere. 42 sixes were scored between Punjab Kings and Kolkatta. These are mind bending statistics. If the authorities do not wake up now, it will be too late.
Wrapping growing voices of dissent in the IPL
Cricket is an excellent game and authorities because of their incompetence is letting the game drift into unchartered territories which may kill the golden goose. Every board and the ICC are greedy for money and for what? Developing the game in countries where it will never capture the imagination of the public? Whoever thought of this idea must be flogged nicely. Cricket can never become a global sport like Tennis or Football. It is best restricted within a handful of nations and by making them competitive. Can you imagine Afghanistan or Bangladesh against Australia at the Perth? They will be slaughtered.
What has ICC done to improve the game in those countries that are already playing Test cricket? How many Tests has Bangladesh won despite being in the field for 30 years? Why is Sri Lanka’s slide not arrested at all? Will the West Indies be ever competitive again? Why did South Africa dispatched an inexperienced squad to play Test cricket in New Zealand despite knowing fully well that they are bound to lose WTC points?
Funds are being spent in countries where they will never be utilised properly. USA will not embrace cricket. It is a team that is fully made up of expatriates. There will never be a national appeal. ICC must stop spending money on such countries and concentrate on making the game more balanced for the existing spectators.
What has this got to do with growing voices of dissent in the IPL? Everything actually. Atleast there are some murmurs which may one day, snowball into a Tsunami.
Other IPL blogs
https://icricketcritique.com/ipl-must-prove-its-worth/
https://icricketcritique.com/midseason-review-of-the-ipl-2023/
https://icricketcritique.com/the-expansion-of-ipl/
https://icricketcritique.com/brand-new-edition-of-ipl/
https://icricketcritique.com/the-see-ball-hit-ball-game/