Saikiran Uppuluri
Saikiran Uppuluri
IPL 2024 Season to Maintain Two Bouncers Per Over Rule
The 2024 season of the Indian Premier League (IPL) will see a continuation of the current playing condition of granting bowlers two bouncers per over, a departure from previous seasons when only one short ball was permitted.
Earlier this year, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) introduced the second bouncer rule in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy (SMAT), an inter-state national T20 championship, and has now decided to persist with this rule for the IPL as well.
“It’s an excellent move,” remarked Laxmipathy Balaji, a former India pacer and a former bowling coach of the Chennai Super Kings, speaking to Cricbuzz. “It will be a good addition to the armoury of fast bowlers and will provide bowlers, captains, and coaching staff with something to strategize and work with for a particular batsman. It will also make the contest between bat and ball much more balanced.”
Balaji highlighted the significance of the second bouncer, especially in the latter stages of a match. “Bowlers often resort to yorkers in the death overs. Now they have one more option. With world-class fast bowlers participating in the IPL, it will be exciting to witness the contests,” he added.
In another notable playing condition, the BCCI will continue with the rule of checking for a catch while a referral is made for stumping, a departure from ICC regulations. BCCI officials believe that not checking for a catch before a stumping would be unfair on the fielding side.
“There could be a situation that while checking for stumping it may appear that bat had touched the ball. As per the ICC rule, the third umpire cannot give the batsman out. That would be unfair. Hence the BCCI has opted to persist with the old rule,” explained a board official.
Teams will continue to have two referrals and will be allowed to review wides and no balls, as introduced last year. However, the IPL will not adopt the stop clock rule, a recent change in ICC playing conditions made permanent in white-ball international games.
The IPL 2024 season promises to be an exciting one with these rule changes, providing fans with thrilling contests between bat and ball.
