The Indian Premier League (IPL) 2022 is into its second week and the biggest villain for all teams has been the dew factor so far. Most captains have looked to field first as bowling second has been a big challenge for bowlers as they struggle to grip the ball. Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) skipper Shreyas Iyer went on to say that the field becomes a swimming pool. To counter the dew factor, Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has taken a few steps to negate the dew factor. One of these steps is spraying a non-toxic chemical which helps in reducing the dew on the ground.
How dew affects the game?
In the night matches, dew settles which makes it difficult for bowlers to grip the ball once it goes into the outfield. Not just spinners, but fast bowlers faced similar problems which often leads to ball slipping out of the hand and landing where it was not intended to. This gives an advantage to the team chasing as they get plenty loose deliveries to score.
Measures taken by BCCI
Not just bowlers but fields struggle with dew as well. In order to reduce the dew, the outfield of the ground is not watered for two to three days before the game. As a result, the ground absorbs the dew, making it relatively dry. The grass has been cut shorter than usual so that the dew hits directly on the ground instead of staying on top. Also, BCCI is using a special non-toxic spray to reduce the dew. The chemical is sprayed eight to 10 hours before the game.
What does the chemical spray do?
The anti-dew chemical stays on the grass leaves when it is sprayed. When dew falls, it does not stay on the leaves but goes straight to the ground. The dew is then absorbed by the dry ground which reduces to dew factor. In addition, super soppers are used to get rid of dew as well.
All these measures help bowlers to grip the ball better and make the game more balanced between the two teams irrespective of the toss’ result.
