The new rule that allows two bouncers in an over in Indian Premier League 2024 is a game-changer, believes Punjab Kings pacer Harshal Patel. The 33-year-old India international feels the rule will let bowlers "package their overs better" and give them more options when up against rampaging batters. (More Cricket News)
"It is a huge, huge advantage. The biggest advantage is, you can bowl them at any point in an over - as opposed to [having to think of] when is the best, when we had just one bouncer an over," Patel told ESPNcricinfo.
"You can now go really hard early on: bowl a bouncer very first ball or second ball, then bowl a couple of length deliveries, then go defensive and close off the over. The more options you have, the better as a bowler. I can package my over better now," added former Royal Challengers Bengaluru seamer Patel, who was the most expensive Indian player to be bought at the IPL 2024 auction at INR 11.75 crore.
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Patel said bowlers can employ the bouncer to stem the flow of runs or take wickets, based on the line and speed with which it is bowled. "[The bouncer] can be both [attacking and defensive] depending on what lines you bowl or what pace you deliver at. If you want to go slower into the pitch, sort of wide-ish outside the off stump, then it can be a very good defensive option against batters who generally tend to drag to the leg side.
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"It can be also be an attacking option depending on whether you have the fine leg and square leg back and you bowl at the batter's head and force them to hook you or hit you over the boundary. In a T20 environment very few batters will try to keep it down and try to hit the gaps, most will try and hook you over the line. So that always allows you to force an error.
"You need to be very good with line: you want to be somewhere around the left ear or left shoulder, because that is the blind spot and batters don't have control. Because when you try to hook and when the ball rushes on to you or comes a little slower, you end up gloving," he added.
The decision to allow two bouncers in an over in IPL 2024 follows the trialling of the same at the 2023-24 season of Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, India's domestic T20 tournament. The International Cricket Council allows only one bouncer per over in T20Is, while two bumpers are permitted in Tests and One Day Internationals.
