Cricket fans love IPL run fests, but the league’s bowlers are up in arms​on April 1, 2025 at 6:02 pm

The crème de la crème of cricketers around the world descend on India like bees drawn to honey at this time of the year.

Article content

Article content

Article content

There are millions at stake in the world’s richest league and every cricketer in the world worth his salt considers it an honour to be picked by one of the 10 teams in the Indian Premier League.

A couple of months of the slam, bang and in-your-face game has enthralled fans in India and around the world, including right here in Canada, where thousands are glued to their sets every morning.

As far as money goes, the IPL coffers seem bottomless as Lucknow Super Giants showed this year. It dug in deep and came up with $3.21 million US for the services for Rishabh Pant, the exciting India wicket-keeper.

We apologize, but this video has failed to load.

Try refreshing your browser, or
tap here to see other videos from our team.

That wasn’t all as the Giants also added West Indies batsman Nicolas Pooran, also an international wicket-keeper, to their roster for a whopping $2.5 million.

The IPL is in its 18th season and nothing had changed from its launch except that more cash has poured in through gate receipts, advertisements and television that has vaulted it into the broadcasting stratosphere.

Article content

Article content

Disney-owned Star India and Reliance Industries have the rights to the tournament, with Star India paying $3.02 billion and Reliance Industries chipping in $6 billion.

Fans are hooked on the ball leaving the bat and sailing into the stands for a six or crossing the boundary lines for a four. It’s a treat for the fans but, for the first time since the league was launched in 2008, the bowlers have voiced their concern about them being treated like sheep being led to the slaughterhouse.

One man who was blasted to kingdom come was England’s fast bowler Jofra Archer. He would like to erase that day from his memory when he leaked 76 runs off four overs for Rajasthan Royals versus Sunrisers Hyderabad. Previously the most expensive spell in the IPL came in 2024, when Delhi Capitals plundered 73 runs off Gujarat Titans’ Mohit Sharma.

Archer was too stunned to comment on his unwanted record, but India spin ace Ravichandran Ashwin, fast bowler Kagiso Rabada of South Africa and India paceman Shardul Thakur were among those who voiced their concerns.

Article content

“Bowlers, I believe, will soon require psychiatrist visits … really,” Ashwin said.

The first four of six IPL matches turned into high-scoring affairs. Rabada, who shares the new ball for Gujarat Titans, said he is looking forward to a balance between bat and ball.

“You might as well call our sport ‘batting’ and not ‘cricket.’ I have no issues with a few records being broken; that’s fine. High-scoring games are good, but so are low-scoring games. But you can’t have it tilting either side too dramatically, there needs to be a balance that is maintained between bat and ball,” Rabada told Indian Express.

And Lucknow Super Giants’ Thakur added: “All that the bowlers are asking is to prepare the pitch in such a manner that the game hangs in balance and it should not be just one-sided, where batters are coming and smashing us because all we want is a fair chance and fair opportunity in the game.”

Article content

So far 200 has been breached in 10 matches and the highest score was 286, posted by Sunrisers Hyderabad. Not to be outdone, Rajasthan Royals hit back with 242 in a run fest.

The highlight of this encounter was opening batsman Ishan Kishan getting the first 100 of the season off just 45 balls for his new club Hyderabad versus Archer and his Royals.

Other noteworthy scores so far have come from Shreyas Iyer of Punjab and Kolkata’s Quinton de Kock with unbeaten 97s. The pick of the bowlers have been Aussie speedster Mitchell Starc and 23-year-old rookie Ashwani Kumar.

Starc took an astounding five for 35 to guide Delhi Capitals to a seven-wicket thrashing of Sunrisers with four overs to spare. Pace bowler Kumar had a dream debut for Mumbai as he grabbed four wickets for 24 runs to send Kolkata crashing to an eight-wicket thrashing.

Article content

CANADA SKIPPER CHARGED

Things just keep going from bad to worse for the Cricket Canada.

Last month, the national body’s CEO Salman Khan was charged with fraud by Calgary Police. On Tuesday, the Trinidad and Tobago Guardian reported that Canada’s national team captain, Nicholas Kirton, has been taken into police custody in relation to a drug charge.

The 26-year-old Barbadian was apprehended after arriving at the Grantley Adams International Airport. The newspaper said, according to its resources, the investigation is in relation to 20 pounds of cannabis.

Kirton was promoted to captaincy of the national team squad last year and he had just returned from taking part in the World Cup qualifiers in Namibia.

The left-hander has represented Canada since 2018 and was made captain in 2024.

Khan and an associate were charged with one count of fraud and theft over $5,000 from the Calgary and District Cricket League during their time as the organization’s president and treasurer, Calgary police said in a release.

The police said it believes Salman and another man are responsible for misappropriating “approximately $200,000 from the league.”

Check out our sports section for the latest news and analysis.

Article content