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Cricket like never before!
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In the first five matches of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025, there were six 200-plus totals. However, from the sixth match up until the 14th one, there have been no 200-plus totals. What could be the reason behind this?
Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) mentor Dwayne Bravo has the answer for that. Speaking in the pre-match press conference ahead of their clash against Sunrisers Hyderabad on April 3 (Thursday), Bravo credited bowlers for the decline in 200-plus totals.
"The batsmen do not have that value on the wicket any more. They're a bit reckless because they play on those flat pitches. Teams are batting longer with the Impact Player, so the value for batsmanship is no longer there,” said the former West Indies all-rounder.
"So that's why you see the scores are now starting to drop a bit. Bowlers are getting smarter, and they're trying to use their strengths more,” he added.
Even after being defending champions, his side has not had a great start to the tournament and have failed miserably with the bat in two out of the first three matches.
So what would Bravo suggest to his batters? "My message to the batsmen, especially, is that the basics of the game are still required. The smarts of the game are still required. These guys just need to apply themselves a bit more, and I think they're getting to understand that,” he said.
Both Hyderabad and Kolkata have lost two out of their first three matches and would be looking to get the second win under their belt.
