Matchup Monday #3 - 💸 The Shift In The Cricket Dynamic

We’ve seen commentators glaze modern cricketers and state that the game we’ve known and loved for centuries has evolved so that aspects of the game have been accentuated to an extremely high standard. Everything from the money involved, the fitness required, and boundary lengths, to competitiveness have made it a feat for the current generation to break into the international setting.

The Rise of T20 And Its Repercussions

I know it sounds cliche and oversaid, but we haven’t exactly distinguished what the rise of IPL has done to the beauty and class of cricket.

Let me bring your attention to Andre Russell and his current success in the IPL. In the match between KKR and RR in the 2024 IPL season, an iconic quote from Harsha Bhogle was, ‘Who thought the third man could be a catching position’. This quote is symbolic because the dynamic of how batters treat balls to their merit is completely flipped on its head.

So long are the days that players play the ball to its merit.

Now batsmen view the ball via length, the line is almost irrelevant as the main purpose is to get under the ball and clear the ropes, with a practised stroke that batters have honed through extensive training.

Of course, this has been hyperbolised, but this season, we have seen records broken, in particular by SRH (*cough* Pat Cummins captaincy), delivering 450-500 run games, something that is unprecedented.

The Need To Protect Other Formats

Even last year, the World Test Championship Final was kept not even two weeks after the IPL finished, something that is understated as players should be given time to adjust their playing ‘modes’ and shift their mindset to this occasion.

Whilst this new era of cricket is ensuring that the upcoming generation has enough to stimulate their low attention spans, the beauty and class of cricket should have the attention of the ICC, with more funding boosting the importance, rather than petty T20 competitions drawing players away from international duties.

Otherwise, this sport will slowly and slowly turn into baseball.