We might just see that 300-run mark breached in this IPL season: AB de Villiers | Ipl News
Since the introduction of impact player rule in the Indian Premier League the scores have gone up quite significantly. Batting lineups who used to have anchoring-role at the top now have been reluctant to have them anymore and have given free licenses to all the batters to go all guns blazing, there have been instances in the last couple of years where the personnel has been altered when the batter lacked the skill set to play with a certain tempo right from ball one.
“The impact player rule has changed the game a lot. As we have seen from some players’ comments, it frees up the top three batters so they can take more risks. In a way, it feels a bit unfair, and I’ve shared some criticism about that. Fielding restrictions allowing only two fielders outside the ring, along with the added freedom for top-order batters, make things complicated for the bowlers. But it is exciting for the batters. We might just see that 300-run mark breached in this IPL season,” AB de Villiers said on Jio Hotstar.
The 18th edition of the season will kick off with Royal Challengers Bengaluru taking on defending champions Kolkata Knight Riders at the Eden Gardens on Saturday.
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The major protagons from last year
While the Impact Player has indeed upscaled scoring rates throughout the 20 overs, batting in the Powerplay and death overs has seen the biggest spike from the previous edition. Among the mavericks are three teams who were among the bottom four in 2023 – Kolkata Knight Riders, Sunrisers Hyderabad and Delhi Capitals, who have rejigged their combinations.
KKR’s charge has been led the unlikely opening pair of Sunil Narine and Phil Salt. Travis Head and Abhishek Sharma have formed a potent concoction up top for SRH. Aussie sensation Jake Fraser-McGurk has formed the core of Delhi’s early charge.
