Who said what - top 5 expert reactions on bowlers' misery in IPL 2024 so far ft. Irfan Pathan
The 2024 Indian Premier League (IPL) has been a riveting edition, with the batters completely dominating the bowlers. With a thick willow and innovation, the batters have piled on the bowler's misery in the ongoing season.
There have been multiple occasions of teams scoring in excess of 250, which was unprecedented until 2023. Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) registered the highest-ever IPL total of 287 against Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB).
On April 26, the Punjab Kings (PBKS) did the unthinkable to seal the highest-ever T20 chase of 262 against the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR). Certainly, the pressure on the bowlers is palpable, with batters going out all guns blazing.
It is certainly quite shocking, as the bowlers in this season have underperformed, whether it be their lengths or variations. The predictability of the bowlers has been hurting their team's chances big time in crunch moments.
On that note, let's check out the top reactions by experts on the bowlers' performances in IPL 2024.
#1 Irfan Pathan slams KKR bowling unit
On Friday, the former Indian pacer Irfan Pathan shared his opinions on the bowling performances of KKR bowlers. The veteran all-rounder pointed out the struggle of Kolkata's bowlers to defend scores of 200+. This tweet was in relation to the bowlers' dull performances against the Rajasthan Royals and Punjab Kings:
Moreover, in his following tweet, Pathan added that the mindset of batters have changed in today's time, highlighting PBKS' effort to seal the mammoth chase with eight balls to spare.
#2 Tom Moody on the nature of T20 format
Former Australian all-rounder Tom Moody was stunned by the batting display in IPL 2024. Earlier this month, after SRH posted 287, he pointed out that no score is big enough in the current landscape of T20 cricket.
"The game has gone to another level, let's see who can keep up with how it needs to be played. #IPL," Moody wrote on X.
Moody's claim is certainly true, as the IPL 2024 has recently seen many games being won owing to the batters outsmarting the batters. Although RCB fell short by 25 runs against SRH, they posted the highest-ever second-innings score of 262 (which was leveled by PBKS on April 26) in a chase of 287.
Over the last few days, Marcus Stoinis and Jonny Bairstow have lit up the IPL with their sensational performances, sealing an improbable win for their teams.
#3 Dale Steyn motivates the bowlers amid high-scoring contests in IPL 2024
The former Protea pacer, Dale Steyn thinks it's the best time to be a bowler, as the one containing the batters will be termed as "god among mere mortals."
Further, Steyn felt that the cricket fraternity has been insensitive to the bowlers.
#4 "Take money and get destroyed" - Wasim Akram offers his unique take on bowlers
Former Pakistan pacer, Wasim Akram expressed his happiness earlier this month about retiring at the right time before the T20 revolution. Akram had sympathy for the bowlers but also praised the batters for their unbelievable hitting.
Here's what Akram said on Sportskeeda's Match ki Baat:
"Thank God, I am not playing cricket in this era. I mean they are scoring 270 in 20 overs. It's like 450 or 500 in a 50-over game. If it happened once, it was okay, but this has happened three to four times, which shows how strong the batting is.
"It is illegal to score 100 runs in five overs. How can this happen? Even if you bowl full-tosses, it is tough to do it. For bowlers, it has become like take money and get destroyed here. I feel for the bowlers in this format."
#5 Kevin Pietersen calls for building new grounds
IPL 2024 commentator and former English batter, Kevin Pietersen has been quite active on X, regarding his views on the games.
Reacting to high scores this season, Pietersen thinks new grounds with bigger boundary dimensions need to be built in accordance with the rising prowess of the batters.