Why IPL teams feel home advantage has vanished as 220+ scores become the norm

NEW DELHI: The scores of over 220 seem inevitable in this IPL. Much of it has to do with the kinds of surfaces that are being produced. While the fans and experts are consumed by the madding frequency of these gigantic scores, there are concerns in a section of franchises which feel that the idea of home advantage is almost non-existent now.

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It’s because of the stringent measures taken by the Indian cricket board (BCCI) to keep franchises away from interfering in the preparation of the pitches. On Tuesday night, Delhi Capitals coach talked about the unpredictability of the surface at the Ferozeshah Kotla where they have lost four of their five matches this season.

“As much as one would like to think that we are in control of the surface that we want to play on, there is a clear mandate from the BCCI that they look after the surfaces and they are the ones who ensure that there's no local side that gets benefit out of the surfaces. So you play what is presented to you. And yes, it's been a bit of an up-and-down curve for us to understand what we are going to get at Delhi, which is our home,” Badani said after their loss to Chennai Super Kings on Tuesday.

“There has been a game where we scored 75. In one game 265 was chased down. Again, this was a surface which spun. Ideally, you want to have some consistency. It’s not about us. I think the whole competition is quite neutral that way,” he added.

BCCI recommendations favour high-scoring games
TOI understands that the recommendations shared by the board suggest that there should be minimal help for bowlers. BCCI has adopted its policy from domestic cricket and implemented it in IPL where one curator from the board will be at the venue with the local curator to see there isn’t much interference. During the IPL playoffs and final, the board’s central team of curators will completely take over the venues.

The recommendations suggest boundaries no longer than 77 metres and pitches can offer little lateral movement and no excessive spin. Pitches must have uniform grass cover which will rule out dry pitches.

“There are few teams who have stronger spin-bowling attack. They would prefer a little slower and sluggish pitches. Some teams have very potent seam attack and they prefer a little more help for the new-ball bowlers. But now every pitch is almost similar. It doesn’t matter if one team is travelling or not. The players expect similar conditions across all venues,” a franchise member close to the development told TOI.

Another franchise member said it is the reason why there have been embarrassing collapses whenever there has been a little bit of help for the bowlers. “The batters go in with the expectation that pitch will play true and flat. But whenever there’s a little more purchase from the pitch for the bowlers, they struggle to adapt,” said a franchise source.

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Now that the tournament is nearing its business end and the summer heat taking over, the pitches are going to tire out and the scores are expected to come down considerably. It will be interesting to see if the franchises and the BCCI can find a middle path and let there be some home advantage.