Wink wink: DC skipper Axar was playfully nudged to bat first by LSG’s Pant, who had lost the toss.
| Photo Credit: Sportzpics/IPL
How will the pitch behave? Will there be dew? What’s the par-score? All pertinent questions fly around ahead of a game of cricket.
The early trends in the 18th edition of the Indian Premier League show that skippers winning the toss are taking the ‘when in doubt, chase’ option (six out of six).
What is the idea behind it?
Straightforward
Hunting down a specific target is much more straightforward as the IPL teams already have more than enough moving parts to grapple with at the start of a fresh season. Why agonise over the ideal total when you can make the opposition test the waters first?
“We are playing on this pitch for the first time and the game is happening here after a long time. Every time we play here, the wicket plays a bit differently,” said Chennai Super Kings captain Ruturaj Gaikwad after choosing to bowl against Mumbai Indians.
Four out of the six captains who have opted to chase have tasted success so far
The BCCI’s decision to allow a second ball after the 10th over in the second innings of an evening match was to make sure that the bowlers had a drier ball to operate with. This has not stopped captains from being vocal about their desire to field first.
Dew factor
“There’s dew here (Visakhapatnam) sometimes, but not always. We did not want to take that risk and that is why we are bowling first,” said Delhi Capitals skipper Axar Patel even as he was playfully nudged to bat first by Lucknow Super Giants’ Rishabh Pant.
Will this trend continue? Do sides believe they can utilise the ‘second ball rule’ better once they are more aware of their perfect combination and tactics?
Keep your ears open to what the lucky captain has to say after the flick of the coin.
Published – March 26, 2025 11:37 pm IST
Content Source: www.thehindu.com