New Chandigarh: Has a special sound that defines it intense pulsed light These nights – not the applause at the boundary, but the roar of the ball disappearing a few rows back, followed by a collective murmur of asking: How far?In this version of T20 cricket, now 200 is not even a par total. For bowlers, increasingly in the IPL, it feels more like survival than competition.
Push boundaries with our YouTube channel. Subscribe now!Ricky Ponting and Matthew HaydenTwo men who have made bowlers’ lives miserable for most of their careers are now sitting in the dugout of the IPL as coaches, watching their bowlers suffer.The IPL, always a playground for batsmen, has become excessive. Kings XI Punjab’s Ponting said the impact player rule has not only deepened the batting line-up; It liberates them. “It’s a very difficult thing for bowlers now,” Ponting said. “Modern T20 batsmen… they are big, strong athletes. The bowler has to be a few inches off the line or the length and they take the penalty. The ball goes over the fence and it goes a long way.“Also read: India’s overlooked stars Gill, Iyer take center stage as PBKS hosts GT “The margin of error has shrunk to the point where it’s almost invisible,” says Hayden of Gujarat Titans. “There was a time in the IPL when the approach to the game was progressive…from a single to hitting a six. Now, things have changed. Sixes, fours…and then maybe a single. It’s not just a reversal of the sequence, it’s a reversal of philosophy.”How do you disrupt an intention when it is so absolute? The answer, both coaches agree, isn’t revolutionary but old-fashioned, executed with precision.Hayden lists them off like a checklist: yorkers on the edge, yorkers on stumps, slower wide players coming into the pitch. “Change is not new, accuracy is everything. You don’t have to be a rocket scientist,” Hayden said, “but you have to be close to perfection.”Ponting favors tactics. “Change the angle and make better use of the bouncers. Look for something unfamiliar – a mysterious spinner, maybe someone who can buy some shady items in a form that’s rarely allowed,” he said.
