Rajasthan pulled off a record chase of 224 to win by 2 wickets. Photograph: BCCI
Runs have come thick and fast with teams scoring in excess of 200 -- setting and chasing -- in several IPL 2024 games.
At Bengaluru's M Chinnaswamy stadium on Monday, April 15, Sunrisers Hyderabad scored a record-breaking 287 for three to emerge triumphant against the Royal Challengers Bangalore by 25 runs -- a total of 549 runs were scored -- the highest aggregate in a T20 match.
On March 27, SRH had set an IPL record by scoring 277/3 against the Mumbai Indians at Hyderabad. In that match Mumbai Indians made 246 for 5 before losing the chase.
On Tuesday, April 16, Kolkata Knight Riders posted 223 runs in the first innings. But Jos Buttler put on a chase masterclass and the Royals chased down the target off the last ball of the match.
This worrying trend of batters having a clear edge over bowlers, drew a couple of opinions, one being Kolkata Knight Riders Mentor Gautam Gambhir.
Gambhir felt the Kookaburra ball should be replaced by another ball manufacturer for the tournament.
'If a manufacturer cannot produce a ball which can last for 50 overs, might as well change the manufacturer,' Gambhir, a former KKR captain, said.
'There's nothing wrong with changing the manufacturer. What is this compulsion with only using the Kookaburra?', Gambhir was quoted as saying by The Times of India newspaper.
Cricket commentator Harsha Bhogle was of a similar opinion.
'We need greater balance between bat and ball and in a situation where the pitches aren't helping, the ball must do more in the air,'Bhogle tweeted.
'How about a Duke ball, a ball with a more pronounced seam, that allows more lateral movement and ensures batters can't just hit through the line at will?' Bhogle asked.
