Raising the IPL bar

In a recent blog I highlighted the fact that I thought some IPL teams, post shuffle, needed to revisit some basics of the T20 format. My focus then was an ideal target score after six overs of batting that promotes positive outcomes.

As they say in the infomercials: "But wait there's more!"

At the halfway mark of this year's edition, some further scrutiny of basics reveals that other specifics are also being overlooked.

Here are some more aspects that I feel could benefit teams further if the coaches and skippers employed them with more conviction.

The catch cry of this format is flexibility and indeed, that is an essential component, but it must not be overdone. Greater structure is sometimes required.

First and foremost there are more young, inexperienced Indian players on display and this is the first time they have been exposed to this high octane competition. I have no doubt that many are getting caught up in the spectacle of the occasion. A few deep breaths are required and an intentional act of slowing the game down to their own acceptable pace will benefit those youngsters enormously. This game can whizz past you pretty quickly if you are not in tune with its velocity. In particular, as a batsman, you always have more time than it seems.

The structuring of some of the batting orders has been frustrating to say the least. Too many times for my liking, when a solid platform has been achieved, the adage of 'risk to succeed' has not been enforced and potentially impressive end totals have been stifled.

A bowler has it drummed into him that there are generally three lengths to bowl: yorkers, just short of a length, and short deliveries. I lament the fact, however, that the quality yorkers are proving consistently elusive at crucial junctures. Yorkers about a foot outside the offstump restrict boundary-seeking opportunities at the death, if the correct supporting field placings are employed.

The first and last deliveries of an over are statistically the most expensive and therefore they deserve the most concentration and attention. Bowlers need to remember that a single is considered the best delivery as it hands over the strike and releases boundary anxiety.

When setting a target teams can always afford a late surge after being behind par. However when chasing, a side must always be in range of the required run-rate. Having wickets in hand with six overs to go always translates into a massive advantage. One of the most influential batting strategies of this format is to ensure that, if you are the batsman in possession and playing well, you must finish your job and not leave it to the next man.

Although this edition of the IPL is important for all involved, the best way for the players to collectively deliver results is to realise this is just sport and not the be-all and end-all. The last few days have amplified the reality that there are plenty more important things going on in the world.

The word 'pressure' should be eradicated and replaced with descriptions that encourage the promotion of instinctive freedom of expression.