Indian batting legend Sunil Gavaskar has proposed a major change to the IPL’s playing conditions, suggesting that bowlers who take a certain number of wickets in their spell should be awarded an extra over.Writing in his column for Mid-Day, Gavaskar argued that modern T20 cricket, particularly the IPL, has increasingly tilted in favor of batsmen due to flat pitches, small boundaries and regulations that leave bowlers little margin for error. According to him, giving extra overs to wicket-taking bowlers can restore some balance between bat and ball.
Gavaskar wrote, “This is where one might think the restriction of just four overs on the bowler might be revisited.” “If a batsman can bat for the full 20 overs, why can’t a bowler who takes three wickets in four overs be allowed a second over as a reward for those wickets?”Gavaskar believes that such a rule would encourage attacking cricket from the bowling side rather than a defensive strategy that aims only to restrict runs. He added, “This way teams will also try to get wickets instead of trying to score runs. After all, the best dot ball is a wicket-taking dot ball, isn’t it?”The former India captain pointed to the increasing number of centuries and big totals in IPL 2026 as evidence that conditions are favoring the batsmen a lot. Appreciating the fun competitions, he said that tough games on more challenging surfaces are more interesting than one-sided run-fests. He specifically highlighted how batsmen have struggled against real fast bowlers on lively pitches such as Jofra Archer and Kagiso Rabada.To illustrate how the proposed rule might work, Gavaskar cites Bhuvneshwar KumarA recent spell against Mumbai IndiansWhere the experienced fast bowler took four wickets. Under the proposed rule, a bowler with such a performance could potentially bowl an extra over at the death, rewarding the fielding side for attacking bowling.Gavaskar added, “Yes, you think three bowlers can get three wickets and an extra over each. That will level the playing field considerably in a format where everything is stacked against the bowlers.”He also criticized some of the batting-friendly conditions in the modern game, including short boundaries and strict interpretations of wide balls for short pitched deliveries above shoulder height.Instead of directly introducing the rule in the IPL, Gavaskar suggested that the concept should be tried first in domestic competitions such as city leagues. Syed Mushtaq Ali trophy before considering any wider implementation.
