Cricket is batsmen's game, experts often say, casually speaking about this beautiful sport which keeps throwing surprises. The ongoing season of the Indian Premier League has proved to be harsh for bowlers, especially in Sharjah where even a mammoth total like 223 was chased down by Rajasthan Royals with three balls to go. And, the other day Delhi Capitals and Kolkata Knight Riders scored 438 runs between them in 40 overs.  

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Looking at these numbers, you wonder why someone would want to be a bowler! Several analysts, former cricketers and coaches have come up with their assessment of this situation. While someone asked for a bowling machine instead of actual players (even though jokingly), other suggested new rules altogether.  

I remember telling a friend – Imagine being a 16-year-old bowler watching Rahul Tewatia hit those five sixes off Sheldon Cottrell in one over. It could crush your morale.  

However, contrary to the general belief, bowlers matter. Probably, more than they ever did. It’s the most special skill in cricket – something franchises would pay more premium for in future. See, a Jofra Archer can swing his bat in the final overs and hit few sixes but can a KL Rahul hit a Yorker like the England pacer? Or, can Shreyas Iyer turn the ball like Amit Mishra? The answer is no.  

In the past week, we have seen so many little instances where one over or a good spell, changed the whole game. Look at the RCB-MI match in Sharjah where both sides scored 200 runs, only to decide a winner in the super over. Washington Sundar bowled his four overs for 12 runs at an economy of 3. The second best for RCB was Navdeep Saini at 10.80. And, Sundar is one of the rare off-spinners playing in the league. 

Just the following day to that game, Delhi Capitals failed to chase a mediocre total of 163 against the Sunrisers Hyderabad. The reason being? Brilliant spells from Rashid Khan and T Natarajan. While the Afghan leg spinner conceded just 14 runs for his three wickets, Natarajan unleashed a flurry of Yorkers at the Delhi batsmen. In fact, he has bowled the greatest number of Yorkers in the tournament so far, almost triple than second best.  

When Chennai needed 28 runs off the last over against SRH, David Warner gave the ball to an 18-year-old spinner Abdul Samad, with MS Dhoni at crease. The youngster bowled a wide which also went for a four, bringing the equation down to 23 off 6 balls. We all know MSD can do it. He has done it in the past. But, Hyderabad won the match. Who it did for them? The young bowler.  

The point being – batsmen have the free license. Every team bats till 8 or 9 these days. Boundaries are shorter, pitches flatter. Yet, a team is able to chase down 223 on one day and manages only 137 the other. The difference is opposition bowls better in the second case. It was for the bowlers that on the same Sharjah ground where 220 wasn’t considered safe, Mumbai Indians restricted SRH at 174, to complete an easy win. 

In modern day cricket, the funda is simple - If a side scores 200 and restricts the opponent to 198, it’s not because their batsmen scored those two extra runs. It’s because the bowlers were two runs more economical than the opponent. The real competition is not who hits more sixes, it’s who concedes lesser.  

What may change is the definition of a good bowler. You don't bet on batsmen who can play through 20 overs. You bet on the ones who can hit three sixes in a row when 20 are needed from the last over. Similarly, bowlers who can hit the right length when it matters, will rule in the coming days.