CHENNAI: When England went about rewriting the rules of 50-over cricket after the 2015 World Cup, there was oft-asked question. Would the arms race among batters in ODIs lead to a team breaching 500? Over the next 10 years, teams have tried but 500 has remained the unconquerable mountain in the 50-over format.
Similarly, in T20s, 300 has remained untouchable. Well, almost. Two teams have zoomed past 300 in the last year (Baroda against Sikkim and Zimbabwe versus Nepal). With the Indian Premier League (IPL) season in full swing, will there be a 300 on the cards? It seems to be the one question that seems to be on a lot of lips. Not without reason. In 2024, batters had an agenda-setting season.
Eight of the 10 highest innings totals in IPL history came in 2024. On flat decks and smallish grounds, the bowlers were on a hiding to nothing. It's why Mike Hesson, former director of cricket at Royal Challengers Bengaluru for four years from 2019, is looking to observe how the bowlers respond in the 18th edition of the IPL. The Kiwi, who runs the 'Coach Hesson' YouTube channel, also spoke about why being a T20 captain is the hardest gig in the game today, the prevalence of data and why the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) are right to impose sanctions on players pulling out after getting a bid. Excerpts from an interview...
On your reading of the league this year
There are six sides after the mega auction that are pretty well set. Some sides have far better options than others. I fully expect us to have a pretty even IPL. Traditionally, heading into the last week or two, a majority of the teams will still be on the hunt. I'm not sure it will be quite that type this year.
On the rise of super coaches in the game today
The game moves so quickly. Every decision has an impact so the work the coaches have to do away from games is significantly more than it has ever been because you are always trying to find those small advantages. I still believe strongly that on the field, the captain is the person who has to run the ship and the coach can offer some perspective where appropriate but I still believe the big part of the coach's job is to enhance the captain and the leadership group to make good decisions on the park.
On the changing nature of captains in T20s
A captain in T20 is the toughest job in the game, for sure. In the other formats, you have got a longer time to make decisions. Here, you have got to be ahead of the game at all times. One-two-three balls, there could be a shift in tactics... if you wait for an over, the game's gone. So you have got to be able to think on your feet, be aware of all the match-ups, how that might be adjusted depending on the conditions. There's so many decisions you make in a short space of time. You won't get away with the game anymore unless you are savvy and are tactically aware. It can be a pretty horrible place to be if you are out there and you are getting taken down by a couple of batters and you don't have all of your defensive plans in place in terms of bowling options and in terms of field setting... if you don't have all that planned in advance and be able to really think on your feet and adjust to conditions, you will be exposed.
On what data you decide to pass on and what data you prefer to keep it within the support staff
It depends on the individual to be fair. That's the skill of the coach. You can identify what data at that particular time is more suited to being passed on to the captain or to an individual player and what data you need to hang on to yourself. The skill of a real coach is to provide as little data as possible but for all of it to be very effective. It's not to share everything or not to withhold everything. It's knowing when to intervene. There's a huge amount of data in cricket. In the scouting meeting, you can get absolutely anything you want. It takes a skilled mind to work out what actually can make a difference. Some captains and coaches are far more effective at using it than others. Those are the ones who do well. Those that take data at face value and overload players with it don't get anywhere so it's very much a balancing act.
On team dynamics after a mega auction as compared to a normal year
In a normal auction, you are only making small shifts. You can't make a massive change, particularly from a domestic point of view as it's very hard to get good domestic players. It's more about the overseas players at the smaller auctions but in the bigger auction, there's a far bigger shift in the dynamics. You can only hang on to a certain number of players and only a few sides do that. When a side does that, you can clearly see what that side is thinking heading into the mega auction for the next three year cycle.
On if it's fair on the teams to know about the rule changes post the auction
They (BCCI) did the same thing last time when they introduced the impact player rule after the auction. I'm very surprised that both decisions weren't made earlier but in this instance, they (removal of ban on saliva to shine the ball and the availability of a second new ball in the second innings in night games) are not as significant. The impact rule had a huge significance on how you looked to select sides. This (the rule change now) is to try and limit the effect of toss with dew.
On the ban in place for players who withdraw from the league after getting a bid
We were pretty fortunate at RCB as it didn't happen a lot. It's a huge disadvantage. That really affects sides who use a huge amount of budget on a particular player and then all of a sudden they pull out. You can only go back to the auction with what you have left and you can be exposed. It makes a huge difference. I don't think anyone has a problem if somebody is injured or has a family situation but to go in and pull out... there are also instances when players pull out because they are not happy with prices they get. That's also unacceptable. I think the IPL had to put something in place to discourage that kind of behaviour. I think they should follow through with it (banning the player for a two-year period) otherwise it will continue.
On the things you are keeping an eye on this season
I'm looking forward to the response from the bowling group. In 2024, eight of the top 10 highest scores came last year. The impact rule has clearly favoured the batting and scores were out of control at times and the bowlers had no response. There's always a chance to recalibrate, a chance to come up with different defensive options and I'm looking forward to seeing what the bowlers come up with. In the past, it was either the knuckleball, slower ball bouncer... it's really interesting to see what's next in the bowlers' tool box.
