Indian Premier League (IPL) 2021 cricket team captain KL Rahul has suggested that teams that are fielding second—defending totals that is,—should be allowed to change the ball at any stage in match which will help them to remain competitive and not suffer with the dew factor, which has been a huge point of pain for all teams across the competition as well as in international cricket.
The dew factor is something that has been troubling each team that has played the night matches in India with the white ball. As the evening progresses, cricket grounds across the country tend to hold on to the due which results in the ball getting bit and spinners in particular struggle to keep the bad ball and find it difficult to get any sort of turn or any sort of purchase from the surface.
The dual factor tends to support the batsmen even more at the Wankhede Stadium where the boundaries are short and it becomes easier for batsmen to chase down targets, which happened in the case of Delhi Capitals on Sunday night as they were able to score 198/4 in reply to Punjab’s 195/4 and won by 10 balls remaining and six wickets in hand.
Rahul told the host broadcaster Star Sports,
“I think that (the ball change) will really be fair to the team bowling second, and I am not just saying that because I am on the losing side.”
“I think that’s only fair that the team bowling second doesn’t have such a huge disadvantage. Our bowlers try and practice their skills with the wet ball, but when you go out in the middle with the pressure it’s always difficult. I did ask the umpires to change the ball a couple of times, but again, it’s not in the rulebook, so that’s how the game goes, we’ve got to take it,”
he said.