The World Cup should not be a mere extension of the IPL

For those cricket fans who have got used to enjoying the sight of batters steamrolling bowlers of all ilk over the past 65 days or so, will the forthcoming T20 World Cup in the USA and the West Indies may prove to be a bit of a turn-off.

That is not just due to the fact there are as many as nine associate nations stacked against some of the cricketing elites in the first round, leading to the prospect of some uneven contests. This is also because there might not be run-fests to savour in every single match like the IPL; instead there might be a more balanced battle between the leather and the willow, at least in the latter parts of the tournament – something that has become a rarity these days in franchise leagues.

The franchise leagues strive to maximise the entertainment quotient for the audiences. They do it by reducing the 'boring moments' of the game – something we see a bit more of in bilateral T20 series and global T20 events and a lot more in other formats of the game. These leagues also try to increase the 'fun moments' – balls hit across the fence – something we see less of in other formats. The methods used to achieve these objectives are quite well-documented. As a result, we see skyrocketing number of fours and sixes and strike-rates of batters reaching astronomical figures.

 Take the 2024 IPL for example. The first 64 matches of the season saw a whopping 20-run increase (191) in first-innings average score on the 2022 season (171), the year that the last T20 World Cup was held. The first 54 days of this year's IPL juggernaut has produced a plethora of batting records – collective and individual – and left a trail of destruction in its wake, in the form of battered bowlers and exhausted fielders.

 Thankfully for the bowlers and fielders, though, IPL is done for the year, and now comes the T20 World Cup, which, in the past, produced many memorable contests but not at the expense of either bowlers or batters.

 Bangladesh pacer Mustafizur Rahman, who has played for five different IPL teams over the last eight years, believes it would be unwise to expect IPL's run-fest to be replicated in the World Cup.

 "I don't think 260 or more will be a common thing in the World Cup. At best, you'll see 180-200. It's my personal opinion," 'the Fizz' told The Daily Star in an interview ahead of the team's departure for the USA.

 "There are reasons for the run-fest in IPL…. the role of the Impact Player, the nature of the wickets, and evening games. In the evening games, it's a challenge for the bowlers due to the dew factor," explained the experienced pacer.

 Nazmul Abedeen Fahim, veteran cricket coach and analyst, pointed out a different reason behind heavy run-scoring in franchise leagues, which he believes may not be quite the case in the upcoming World Cup.

 "In the IPL, a team gets to play 14 matches, so they have a lot of scope to take risks. Teams can come back strongly even after losing three or four matches," Fahim opined. "But in the World Cup, a team will play four matches in the first round, so if they lose one or two matches, it would be difficult to come back. Hence teams would be less aggressive and more risk-averse."

 Statistics suggest that average runs scored in the T20 World Cups have been considerably less than average runs scored in the franchise leagues in corresponding years.

 In 2022, the average first innings score in the IPL was 171.12; in the PSL it was 179.21 while in the Big Bash League, the average first innings score was 168.20. In the T20 World Cup, however, which was held in Australia and used the same venues that hosted BBL a month later, the average first innings score were as low as 152.36.

 Although there is not much empirical evidence to suggest that the upcoming World Cup will see a drastic fall from the highs of IPL or PSL or BBL in terms of run-scoring, there is growing belief among teams that the drop-in pitches to be used in the USA may be a bit unpredictable in nature and may even create problems for batters unless they behave in a perfect way. Past records also suggest that pitches in the West Indies may get lower and slower and may offer spin bowlers some assistance towards the back end of the tournament.

 In fact most of the teams that are traditionally strong in the spin department, have packed their sides with spin bowling options with these scenarios in mind. Sri Lanka, for example, have picked five spin bowling options and so too have Afghanistan. India and Bangladesh, meanwhile, have picked four each.

 While the impact of the spinners and the behaviour of the drop-in pitches remain to be seen, most analysts, including Fahim, are of the opinion that the run-fests from the franchise leagues will over time spill over to ICC events too.

 "We never thought 270-280 runs would be scored in 20-over matches, but that is happening now. So I'm certain that this World Cup will surpass the previous ones in terms of run-scoring," Fahim predicted.