Sandeep Sharma, Nicholas Pooran welcome IPL's two bouncer rule

Rajasthan Royals' last match hero, Sandeep Sharma has expressed his support for a rule change in the Indian Premier League (IPL) that allows bowlers to deliver two bouncers per over. Sharma believes that this change will make the game more unpredictable and keep batters guessing. Historically, Twenty20 cricket has been a format that favours batters, with bowlers allowed to deliver only one short-pitched delivery per over, including in international games.

However, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has changed the rule for this year's IPL to level the playing field. The new rule was successfully trialled during India's domestic T20 tournament, Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy. Now, Nicholas Pooran, the star batter for the Lucknow Super Giants, has also shared his opinion about the new rule.

"I think the bowlers get some help with this. Earlier, batsmen were able to predict where the bowler would bowl if he had used his one bouncer already. It would be easier for the batsmen. But with two bouncers, the batsmen are also in two minds that there's still one bouncer left for the bowler to use," Sandeep said as quoted by The Hindu.

Also Read: 'Is anyone ever gonna think about helping the spin bowlers' - Tabraiz Shamsi on IPL's two-bouncers rule

"It's a good rule. Especially when a guy comes in to bat, it's effective. If someone doesn't like the short ball, you can pepper him with a couple of them. But in saying that, we as players and bowlers need to do our homework as well. Some batsmen, they like the short ball as well,” said Pooran.

I'm not going to make too much out of it or over-analyse: KL Rahul

While Pooran scored an unbeaten 64, but it was not enough for Lucknow to chase down the target of 194. Though supported the rule change, his fellow teammate KL Rahul was hit on the helmet by New Zealand pacer Trent Boult and had to undergo concussion protocols. However, Rahul did not focus on the rule or his team's defeat.

"It is just the first game and I'm not going to make too much out of it or over-analyse," Rahul said.