In a bid to level the playing field between bat and ball, Indian Premier League 2024 will permit bowlers to deliver two bouncers per over. This adjustment, trialed during the 2023-24 Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, aims to enhance the contest's balance.
However, the Impact Player rule which was introduced in IPL 2023 remains in place. Teams, in addition to the playing XI, must list four substitutes at the toss. Any one of these four substitutes can be utilized as the Impact Player during the match.
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If a team starts with four overseas players in the playing XI, the Impact Player must be an Indian. This maintains the IPL's tradition of limiting overseas players to four per team in a match.
However, if a team begins with three or fewer overseas players, they can bring in an overseas player as the Impact Player, provided that the incoming player is among the four substitutes named at the toss.
What did Jaydev Unadkat say about the bouncer rule change?
"I do feel two bouncers an over is very much useful, and I feel it's one of those things which gives the bowler an added advantage over batsmen," Unadkat told ESPNcricinfo.
"Because, for example, if I bowl a slower bouncer… the batsman in the previous case is sure that there's no more bouncer coming. In this case, even if you bowl one slower bouncer in the first half of the over, you can still use one more [in the over]. Someone who is weak against bouncers will have to be better at it and then it will give the bowler one more weapon in their armoury. So, I feel it's a very small change with a huge impact and as a bowler, I feel it's very important to have that rule.
"Also in the death overs, you have one more option. So, it was becoming more of yorker-oriented [bowling] in death overs for fast bowlers. Not it can be yorker, slower ball and bouncers because of two bouncers an over. Even if you don't bowl the second bouncer, the batsman still has that expectation that the bowler might bowl the second bouncer."
MORE: IPL 2024: What is the remaining purse of each team?
When will IPL 2024 start?
The tournament is projected to be held between March 22 and the end of May. The final schedule will be announced once the polling dates for India's general elections are finalized by the Election Commission.
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