Former India all-rounder and national team coach, Ravi Shastri reacted strongly to the ongoing dominance of batters over the bowlers in the ongoing season of the Indian Premier League (IPL). With the 'Impact Player Rule', short boundaries and batters' ability to clear the fence at an all-time high, the bowlers have found it extremely difficult to stem the flow of runs. As a result, the 2024 edition of the cash-rich tournament has witnessed teams scoring more than 200 runs regularly while 250+ scores have also become quite frequent.
The bowlers have urged the officials to ring in a rule change and come up with a plan that can maintain level the playing field between the bat and the ball.
Reacting to all the fuss, Ravi Shastri advised the bowlers to focus on utilise the current circumstances to stand out.
"Great opportunity watching this @IPL for bowlers to focus on the time tested and execution of things that have lasted the Test of time. Rather than in pursuit to add baggage to your limited armoury that you can't execute. Get stuck in to your strengths and focus. Great OPPORTUNITY to Stand out. Cut the whinging and mourning. FOCUS," Shastri wrote on X (formerly Twitter).
Run-scoring at an all-time high
On April 26 (Friday), the IPL witnessed the biggest run chase of all time when the Punjab Kings chased down the target of 262 runs against the Kolkata Knight Riders at the Eden Gardens. The Kings made a mockery of a gigantic score and won the match with eight balls to spare. A total of 42 sixes were smashed in the game, which is a record in any T20 game.
This season, teams have surpassed the 200-run threshold 24 times in the first 42 matches, with scores exceeding 260 on seven occasions. The sheer dominance of batters over the bowlers has been the hallmark of the 2024 IPL season so far.
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