Three Questions About The 2024 IPL
I have a new essay for ESPNCricinfo about the 2024 IPL which I’d like to share with readers. In it, I consider three questions:
What are the implications for the contest between bat and ball if ten runs an over becomes a common scoring rate in an IPL match?
Why is the scoring rate increasing?
What is the effect of the impact substitute rule?
That essay is T20 centric. Here is a chart comparing the frequency of attacking shots by team innings for each format. The innings are organized according to the scoring rate achieved in the innings.
Essentially, in Tests and ODIs, faster scoring innings occur because batters defend less often (defending: blocking the ball or offering no shot, attacking: playing the ball in a particular direction), if we use a definition of attack and defense which applies in cricket.
In T20, by this definition, teams are already attacking about 88% of deliveries by the time they’re scoring at 7 runs per over (a 20 over total from 130-149). The total achieved depends on both the power and success rate of attacking shots. This is discussed at some length in the Cricinfo essay.
This is basic distinction between T20 on the one hand, and the two longer formats on the other.