The batting has simply been out of this world and some of the sixes would have been sixers even on the biggest grounds. That said, there is a serious need to have a look at increasing the size of the boundaries
Kolkata Knight Riders’s Sunil Narine clouts one against Punjab Kings at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata on Friday. Pic/AFP
Last week, the IPL proved that the new par score in T20 cricket has to be around 220. Not only have teams batting first regularly scored more than that, but the teams chasing down the target have come very close to overhauling that score.
The batting has simply been out of this world and some of the sixes would have been sixes even on the biggest grounds in the world. That said, there is a serious need to have a look at increasing the size of the boundaries because while some of the sixes have gone into the stands, a lot of them have gone just over the rope where the fielder has had to jump and missed catching it by inches. If the boundary ropes were therefore to be moved back a little, some of those sixes would have been dismissals. It is totally understood that with broadcast media rights going for humongous amounts as well as ground advertising rights, that the sponsors who are such an important part of modern-day cricket need to get visibility too. Moving the LED board back towards the fence, they will still give the sponsor great visibility.
ADVERTISEMENT
You look at every ground and you see that from the fencing to the LED advertising board, there is a fair gap. If that gap can be narrowed almost touching the fences, then the boundary rope can also be pushed back by a few metres and which can make the difference between a six and a dismissal. With bats getting so good and players getting more strong, the bowlers are totally at their mercy. The pitches this year for the IPL have also been very good. They have been hard and don’t help the spinners much. The firm pitches have also encouraged the ball to come on to the bat quite nicely for the batters to play some of the breathtaking shots we have seen so far in the tournament. Perhaps going into the month of May and the heat of peak summer, the pitches will be drier and help the spinners just a little bit more.
Need to protect fielders
One aspect to look at protecting the fielders from injury is to have a foam padding in the bottom half of the LED board, so that when they slide over the rope and crash into the board, either with their feet or their head, the foam padding will cushion and soften the impact. Some of the space between the fencing and the LED boards has been made for the convenience of the cheerleaders at the ground. Now while the cheerleaders were part of the initial attraction for the crowds, that novelty has worn off. Besides, who wants to see cheerleaders in full track pants in this summer heat, so might as well stop the practice from the next season and use the space to increase the boundary size.
Also Read: Pant, Samson in mix as wicketkeepers, but no Rahul
More home & away ties in ’25
The next edition is going to be one where all teams are going to have home and away games, which will obviously mean a few more matches to be played and maybe a few more double headers too. There is going to be a mega auction for the new season and every franchisee’s think-tank will be thinking of ways to strengthen their teams. What sort of retention of players, what sort of salary cap for the teams, will all be decided before the mega auction of course. There is a request to the Board of Control for Cricket in India that when they are having these discussions with the franchisees, as well as their own Governing Council, to maybe include some others who have been associated with the IPL since its beginning in 2008. They could thus invite some of the Indians as well as those international players who played in the initial editions of the IPL and who now may be retired and also some from the media who were there from the first match and are around now, to pick their brains as to how to make the IPL even better.
IPL can be even better
Just to take a few names, people like Ravi Shastri, Matthew Hayden, AB de Villers, Harsha Bhogle, Pommie Mbangwa, who have been players as well as commentators, could be invited. Then, some of those who were umpires in the first few editions, some of those who have been TV producers and technical crew and such like who have seen the IPL grow from 2008 to its current state. They might have a few points to make about what can make the IPL even better and maybe some points which perhaps may no longer be necessary for the tournament.
The IPL can then become an even more Incredible Premier League than it is now.
Professional Management Group
Subscribe today by clicking the link and stay updated with the latest news!" Click here!
