When it seemed the Indian Premier League was becoming a tedious affair, the Deccan Chargers’ victories over Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) and the Chennai Super Kings have made the tournament intriguing. Combined with RCB’s slump in form, Kolkata Knight Riders’ inconsistency and Kings XI Punjab’s late surge, the IPL, which has come to the business end, is really getting hotter.

The T20 format is very cruel on the bowlers. Short boundaries, heavy penalties for slight over-stepping and delays in completing their quota on time, and the big, heavy bats that help even mistimed shots clear the boundary effortlessly limit bowlers to mere bowling machines. Batsmen of the size of Goliaths and with the license to go for the kill right from the word go further add to their woes.

In short, the stadia look more like slaughterhouses with the hapless bowlers waiting to be butchered. 

A couple of alterations to the rules of the game can make the contest between bat and ball more even and interesting.

1. During a reverse sweep, the leg-side wide should come out of the equation.

2. When batsmen shuffle, wide should be awarded based on the distance from the bat during the point of contact.

3. Whenever batsmen march down the pitch, the bowler should be allowed to bowl a bouncer (not above the head height).

4. During a powerplay, for once, the bowling captain should have the right to replace a bowler, if he is proving very expensive, in the middle of an over.

Hmmm any more alterations, I think, the batsmen would appeal in the International Court of Justice.

PS:The recommendations and the whole scenario remind me of the caste-based quota system in India.
The match between Deccan Chargers and RCB is to begin in 100 minutes.