April 30 (Punjab Khabarnama) : As the Indian Premier League (IPL) continues to push the boundaries of T20 cricket, teams and players have had to adapt to the ever-changing dynamics of the game. Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) spinner Varun Chakravarthy has provided valuable insight into the challenges faced by bowlers in this high-octane tournament.
Chakravarthy, whose spell of 3/16 played a pivotal role in KKR’s thumping victory over Delhi Capitals, acknowledged that the introduction of the Impact Player rule has forced teams to rethink their strategies.
“The Impact Player rule was there last year also. The teams have now understood how to use the impact player rule better. So, they know that there is extra batting and they want to charge from the first ball. That’s how it’s going,” Chakravarthy said in the post-match press meet.
The 32-year-old spinner emphasized that bowlers must mentally accept the new realities of the IPL, where batters are adopting an ultra-aggressive approach from the very first delivery.
“However much the bowlers cry, that’s how it is. We’ve to accept that this IPL is different and mentally accept that challenge. You can’t change the side of the ground or you can’t change anything,” Chakravarthy stated.
Former India head coach Ravi Shastri echoed similar sentiments, urging bowlers to focus on their strengths and execute time-tested strategies effectively rather than experimenting unnecessarily.
“Great opportunity watching this @IPL for bowlers to focus on the time tested and execution of things that have lasted the Test of time. Rather than in pursuit to add baggage to your limited armoury that you can’t execute. Get stuck in to your strengths and focus. Great OPPORTUNITY to Stand out. Cut the whinging and mourning. FOCUS. #IPL,” Shastri wrote on X.
In a contrasting view, former India captain Sourav Ganguly and Delhi Capitals’ chief coach Ricky Ponting weighed in on the Impact Player rule.
“I don’t think it diminishes the all-rounder’s role but then for average all- rounders you have the option of bringing in a better batsman and a better bowler, but the good ones will always find a place in the side.”
“We were doing some good things as well, but the impact player is definitely helping. You can allow your batters to go out and play with freedom, and then if you get in trouble you can bring in a batsman to try and fix things up. So it’s definitely helping but it’s not ideal for a coach (to comment) and it’s probably not. I’m not sure if it’s good for all- rounders or bad for all-rounders but it seems to be leading to more runs,” Ponting concluded.