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Stephen Fleming, the longest-serving coach in the Indian Premier League (IPL), hopes bowlers are offered more leeway to ensure the IPL maintains balance and continues its reputation as the best franchise league in the world of cricket.
“Batting, in particular, has evolved at a huge rate of knots, the last five years in particular. So now you’re seeing some unbelievable skill. The challenge of the IPL, from a skill point of view, is how the bowlers can even the game up a little bit,” Fleming, Chennai Super Kings’ head coach since 2009, said on the eve of CSK’s high-profile tie against Mumbai Indians.
“The two bouncers (rule) is one, and maybe we need to keep looking at other ways to do that. But I think from an entertainment package, it’s right up there. The quality of cricket that’s played is second to none in terms of franchise cricket.”
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The IPL authorities have allowed bowlers to bowl up to two bouncers, to resurrect the balance between the bat and the ball. Among other possible experiments, they can look at possibly widening the wide lines and allowing one bowler to bowl five or six overs.
Fleming admitted that CSK players also look forward to a competitive rivalry between the boys in yellow and blues. “We love it. We look forward to this fixture. Over the years it has developed into a really competitive rivalry, and it’s based on two good teams playing successful brands of cricket,” Fleming said.
“Not by design, but more through results, it’s worked out to a couple of successful franchises that have had opportunities to push ahead of the others. But look, in saying that every time you play a team these days, it feels like a massive rivalry or a massive game. So we try to keep things reasonably simple and part of the process of this game is to keep emotions down and just enjoy the occasion for what it is.”
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