Spin legend Anil Kumble expresses concern that if cricket continues to heavily favour batsmen, fewer youngsters will opt for bowling in the coming years. He advocates for maintaining the largest possible boundaries at IPL venues and enhancing the seam on the ball to rebalance the game between bat and ball.

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Anil Kumble recommends maximising boundary size

This season has seen the 250-run mark surpassed eight times, attributed to shorter boundaries, flat pitches, and rules favoring batting sides. Echoing the sentiments of Sunil Gavaskar, Kumble emphasizes the necessity of maximizing boundary lengths to address the current imbalance in the game.

"It's been really hard on the bowlers, especially the first half of the tournament. I certainly believe that you need to maximize the boundaries at every venue. Try and keep the biggest boundary possible in that venue," India's leading wicket taker across formats told select media in an interaction arranged by JioCinema.

"For a start, you could move the dugout into the stands. I know you'll lose a few seats but so be it. Then the other aspect is to perhaps look at white ball to have slightly more pronounced seam so that there's a bit more movement.

"We have seen that the ball stops swinging after maybe just the one over or even less than that sometimes. You need a balance between bat and ball. You can't be running in and just going through the motions where in a couple of years you won't have too many youngsters lining up to start bowling.

"Everybody wants to be a batter. You need the bowlers also to be a part of this game and the balance is very important. I expect that will also get addressed," he said.

As per the playing conditions of the IPL, "The playing area shall be a minimum of 150 yards (137.16 metres) from boundary to boundary square of the pitch, with the shorter of the two square boundaries being a minimum 65 yards (59.43 metres).

"The straight boundary at both ends of the pitch shall be a minimum of 70 yards (64.00 metres). Distances shall be measured from the centre of the pitch to be used. In all cases the aim shall be to provide the largest playing area, subject to no boundary exceeding 85 yards (77.71 metres) from the centre of the pitch to be used." 

(With PTI Inputs)