With an intent to even out the contest between bowlers and batters, the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024 will be effecting a new rule where bowlers will be permitted to bowl two bouncers per over, as reported by ESPNcricinfo. It has been learnt that the new rule was tested and trialled during the 2023-24 Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, and thus the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has decided to bring into existence in the 17th edition of the IPL.
Veteran Saurashtra player and star Indian pacer Jaydev Unadkat, who has played for several IPL teams and will be entering the IPL 2024 auction with a base price of INR 50 lakh, has supported the new rule change.
"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 batsmen," Unadkat told ESPNcricinfo.
"Because, for example, if I bowl a slower bouncer… the batsman in the previous case is sure that there's no more bouncer coming. In this case, even if you bowl one slower bouncer in the first half of the over, you can still use one more [in the over]. 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 added that fast bowlers will now have more options to try and rein batters in at the death. "Also in the death overs, you have one more option. So, it was becoming more of yorker-oriented [bowling] in death overs for fast bowlers. Not it can be yorker, slower ball and bouncers because of two bouncers an over. Even if you don't bowl the second bouncer, the batsman still has that expectation that the bowler might bowl the second bouncer," Unadkat concluded.
At the same time, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has chosen to retain the 'Impact Player' rule for the next season of the lucrative league, despite calls for its removal. Prominent former cricketers like Wasim Jaffer and Aakash Chopra have suggested abolishing the rule, arguing that it obstructs the growth of Indian all-rounders.
However, the IPL 2024 will continue to implement the Impact Player rule, first introduced in 2023. This regulation requires teams to declare four substitute players at the toss, allowing them to use one as their Impact Player during the game. Teams fielding four foreign players in their starting XI are restricted to selecting an Indian as their Impact Player, maintaining the limit of four international players per team per match, a rule consistent since the IPL's inception. However, if a team includes three or fewer foreign players in their starting lineup, they have the option to use a foreign Impact Player, provided this player is among the four substitutes listed at the toss.
Notably, the trading window is currently closed but will reopen on December 20, the day following the mini-auction, which is scheduled to take place on December 19 in Dubai from 1 PM IST. It will stay open for about a month leading up to the start of the 2024 season.
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