Is IPl making cricket a base ball game ??

Among other changes IPL T20 has brought, one has had a far-reaching effect on the sport, literally. With the batsmen under constant pressure to score briskly, a lot of sixes are being hit these days the number is smaller than last year but the IPL's second season has still witnessed 399 in 46 matches.

One day cricket was once a fans' delight is taking a backseat. And nobody will be surprised if the purest form of cricket, Test cricket, becomes a part of the history. When players were able to stand the Test of cricket, people wonder whether Test cricket would be able to stand the test of time with such advancements and money flow in the game.

A batsmen who can hit the best of straight drives ever seen cannot find a place in the wham-bham, thank you mam cricket. A square cut hit in IPL will not be compared to David Boon's style. A half pull shot executed on one leg by a left hander is not admired.

The lazy elegance at which players hit their off drives and square leg strokes will be ridiculed because they lack the brute force. Commentators will be pressed to talk on how innovative a batsmen is for his switch shots rather than discussing the legality of it.

Being a cricket fan, who applauds a single over defended by Courtney Walsh to save the Test match for his team with more passion than six sixes being hit in an over.

The IPL has also seen a lot of cheeky shots, such as the scoop shot and reverse sweep, off fast bowlers. Their success rate is directly proportional to the number of hours batsmen spend practising them in the nets.

Supporting this Gilchrist says,"I can tell you all guys spend great time practising these strokes before they attempt it in matches. And not only on those shots, at the same time they work hard on their fundamentals as well because that's where it all comes from."

But Gilchrist also suggests that T20 cricket is a bit like baseball, with the batsmen given a licence to swing the bat freely. "It's funny but some of the biggest hits have all been delivered with the same stroke, with the bat in a baseball-like position," he says.

Then again, there is a strong Indian connection to big-hitting. With Indian bat manufacturers giving the unique combination of more wood on the meat of the bat and balancing it to shave off the extra weight, hitting sixes was never easier.

And although it is power-hitting, it's also a mind game between the batsman and the bowler.
Hayden stresses the need to read a bowler's mind. "There are quite a few different styles of bowling that teams have adopted in the IPL," he says. "Some teams have decided to take the short of length area and others have fallen back on the yorkers. So when you are pre-meditating the shot, it's important to know what to expect from the other side."

Because money in IPL making everyone to play like a base ball player, hit as much as you can no style matters here. This Ipl business is making profit because of this type of shots. You must be wondering how?? Yes, I am saying the right thing. When one team has to score more than 2 runs per ball (12 runs per over) what the batsmen do, they just play shot like they want. They do not play regular shots sometime. Now Ipl is going to be a batsmen game rather than a all team game (bowlers get less credit as well fielder ).

Source:

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/123636-the-reason-why-ipl-is-hurting-me

For more:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Comparison_between_cricket_and_baseball