NEW DELHI: Indian Premier League has introduced a significant change that allows bowlers to deliver two bouncers per over in an effort to create a fairer balance between batsmen and bowlers. The new rule will come into play in the upcoming edition in 2024.
This alteration, which was successfully tested during the 2023-24 Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, India's domestic T20 tournament, aims to give bowlers a greater range of options and add an element of surprise for batsmen.
Also See: IPL Auction 2024 Live Updates
'Small change with a huge impact'
One player who has welcomed this new rule is Jaydev Unadkat, a veteran from Saurashtra who has set his base price at INR 50 lakh for the upcoming IPL 2024 auction.
Unadkat believes that this change could be a game-changer for bowlers, providing them with more strategic opportunities.
"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. "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."
Additional tools for bowlers: Unadkat emphasized that this rule allows fast bowlers to have additional tools, especially in the death overs, where the focus was becoming too much on yorkers. With the option to bowl yorkers, slower balls, and now two bouncers, bowlers can keep the batsmen guessing and maintain pressure in crucial situations.
Impact Player Rule retained
The IPL 2024 season will also retain the Impact Player rule, which was introduced in IPL 2023. Teams will need to list four substitutes at the toss, and they can use any one of them as their Impact Player.
However, if a team starts with four overseas players in their XI, the Impact Player must be an Indian. If they start with three or fewer overseas players, an overseas player from the named substitutes can be the Impact Player.
Trading window opens again on Dec 20
The trading window will open again on December 20, a day after the mini-auction, and will remain accessible for up to a month before the start of the IPL 2024 season.
