Sunil Gavaskar has proposed a major IPL rule change that could allow bowlers to deliver a fifth over during T20 matches, with the former India Captain calling for stronger incentives for wicket-taking bowlers amid the batting-heavy environment of IPL 2026.
The suggestion comes during a season that has produced unprecedented scoring numbers across the league. A total of 48 scores of 200 or more have already been recorded in the first 55 matches of IPL 2026, while 21 games have seen both teams cross the 200-run mark. The latest example came when Punjab Kings posted 210/5 before Delhi Capitals completed the chase with 216/7 and an over remaining.
Writing in his column for Mid-Day, Gavaskar argued that bowlers deserve greater support in a format increasingly tilted towards batters.
“The restriction of only four overs to a bowler could be looked at again. If a batter can bat the entire 20 overs, why can’t a bowler who gets, say, three wickets in his four overs be allowed to bowl another over as a reward for getting those wickets? This way teams will also try getting wickets instead of trying only to save runs being scored. After all, the best dot ball is the wicket-taking dot ball, isn’t it? Yes, you could conceivably have three bowlers getting three wickets and an extra over each,” he wrote.
High-scoring matches fuel balance debate
The debate around balancing bat and ball has intensified throughout the season as several venues continue to produce flat batting surfaces and shorter boundary dimensions favour aggressive scoring. While IPL 2026 has also featured collapses and low totals, the tournament has largely been dominated by high-scoring contests and rapid run rates.
Gavaskar pointed to playing conditions that he believes are making life increasingly difficult for bowlers, particularly in pressure overs where even minor errors are heavily punished.
“That would even up the playing field a fair bit in a format where just about everything is stacked against the bowlers. Look at the small boundaries, the strict interpretation of the wide for a bouncer going marginally over the batter’s head and such like. So, giving the bowlers and the fielding captain an incentive to take wickets and not just be defensive from the first ball, would be something worth trying out,” he added.
The proposal would significantly alter how captains use strike bowlers during the closing stages of innings, especially in situations where wicket-taking bowlers are removed from the attack after exhausting their four-over allocation. Gavaskar’s idea would allow teams to reward bowlers producing match-defining spells rather than limiting them under the current quota system.
Gavaskar suggests domestic trial before IPL rollout
Gavaskar also suggested the idea should first be tested in domestic competitions before being considered for implementation at IPL level.
“As with every new playing condition, it can be trialled in the many city leagues that are coming up. Then, in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, I found that it does level a format which is more batting friendly than it could be used in the next year’s IPL or maybe in the next cycle of IPL starting from 2028,” he wrote.
The discussion arrives at a time when franchises, players and broadcasters continue to benefit from record scoring rates and attacking cricket, although concerns around competitive balance and bowling impact have become increasingly prominent across the tournament.
