4 Unpopular Cricket Rules In The IPL History

The Indian Premier League 2024 season has reached the halfway stage, and the biggest talking point this year has been the dominance of the bat over the ball, with batting-friendly pitches, record-breaking totals, shocking strike rates, and sixes galore being the norm of the season. IPL is a league that is known for its controversial cricket rules. While fans enjoy the thrill that comes with such rules, there have been mixed reactions from cricket analysts and bowlers. Such crazy cricket rules often add to the frustration of the fans and even the stakeholders at times. But, despite all these tough rules, IPL has been loved and watched all over the world. In this blog, we list the top 4 unpopular cricket rules in the IPL history.

4 Unpopular Cricket Rules In The IPL History

1. Impact Player Rule

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) introduced the Impact Player rule back in IPL 2023. IPL franchises were well prepared to make the Indian Premier League a 12-player contest despite their early doubts. Ahead of every match, IPL Teams would shortlist five substitutes to pick from when needed. By the IPL 2024 season, teams had a fair idea of how to use it, and the franchise started using it as a secret weapon to strengthen their squad, which started affecting the role of a pure all-rounder on the side. Teams have used the Impact Player rule to score extra runs this season. The impact player rule is one of the top five cricket rules that should be scrapped. Entertainment-wise, cricket fans are getting their money's worth. However, many cricketers, including Rohit Sharma and Axar Patel, have started raising concerns about this rule. Gujarat Titans' hard-hitting finisher David Miller is the newest member to join this bandwagon.

2. The two-bouncer rule

T20 has been a format that has constantly evolved over the years. The IPL's newly implemented two bouncers in an over rule took the cricketing world by storm. Even Ravichandran Ashwin, who has been on the receiving end of some unpopular cricket rules (Mankading), backed the two-bouncer rule. The T20 format, especially the IPL, has been batter-friendly. Adding the two-bouncer rule in T20 cricket addresses a long-standing challenge for bowlers. It has given a slight advantage for modern-day bowlers to keep batters guessing and exploit the blind spots with bouncers straight at them, thereby creating opportunities to apply pressure on them in different phases. We've already seen the benefits of the two-bouncer rule in this IPL, and it will be exciting if it can be introduced in the T20 Internationals in the future.

3. Decision Review System (Wide and No Balls)

Last year, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) introduced the Review System for Wide and No Balls. Players can now challenge the umpire's wide and no-ball decisions through the use of the Decision Review System. Recently, legendary Indian cricketer Sunil Gavaskar vented his frustration about the new rule that allows DRS being taken to check wide balls and no balls above waist height. Originally, the DRS stands for Decision Review System. It was introduced so players could challenge an umpire’s decision for dismissals or to check if a batter was out after the umpire said not out. Each IPL team gets two reviews per innings. If the review is successful or it's deemed Umpires Call, teams retain it. If the review is unsuccessful, they lose the review. If both reviews are unsuccessful, the team has none left. Recently, the umpires have been in the cricket updates for their marginal Wide and No Ball calls in the IPL 2024 season.

4. Smart Replay System

This IPL 2024 season, BCCI also introduced the Smart Replay System to increase the accuracy and speed of decision-making. As per our understanding, under the Smart Replay System, the Third umpire will receive inputs directly from two Hawk-Eye operators who will be sitting alongside him in the same room and provide him with images captured by Hawk-Eye's eight hi-speed cameras across the ground. The official broadcast director, who used to be a mediator between the third umpire and the Hawk-Eye operators, will no longer be involved in the new system. Time is a critical factor in T20 cricket, especially in the IPL, and the Smart Review System aims to arrive at the right decision in the least amount of time. One good example is DRS for LBW. The TV umpire is initially provided with Spin Vision, which comes from a camera positioned in front of the wickets outside the boundary on each side of the pitch. If the ball is close to the bat, the TV umpire would request UltraEdge. Once satisfied that no bat is involved, he checks ball tracking. Under IPL's latest Smart Review System, if the Hawk-Eye operator spots that the ball has pitched outside leg, he will tell the TV umpire immediately, and they will then prioritise ball tracking instead of going through UltraEdge.