Bowlers receive a message from Ryan ten Doeschate that says, “You have to find creative and new ways for the next four weeks at least.”

Following this historic achievement, KKR assistant coach Ryan ten Doeschate exhorted his bowling squad to rise to the occasion and devise creative strategies to fend off the batting barrage. At the Eden Gardens on Friday, April 26, the Punjab Kings (PBKS) made history by completing the most successful chase in Twenty20 cricket history, defeating the tough 261 total of the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR).

Batting has undergone a revolution in the current IPL 2024 season, with teams frequently surpassing the 200-run mark. Thanks to some fantastic blowouts from Phil Salt (75 off 37) and Sunil Narine (71 off 32), KKR amassed a massive total in the most recent match.

But after a fantastic start by Jonny Bairstow (108* off 48) and Prabhsimran Singh (54 off 20) of Punjab, Shashank Singh (68* off 28) joined the fray to assist PBKS knock down the goal with eight wickets and eight balls remaining.

Ten Doeschate addressed the bowlers’ struggles, acknowledging the difficult situation but advising them to find a method to fend off the batting assault.

There are two perspectives on it. Saying “Oh it’s unfair, we are bowling machines” is one way to approach the situation. Alternatively, you might take a step back and say “We are going to find a way, we are going to be a point of difference compared to other teams,” “We are going to try new things,” or “We are going to embrace the challenge.” Ten Doeschate said in the press conference following the game, “Yeah, it’s going to be difficult, but you have to come up with creative and novel ideas for the next four weeks at the very least. This season will last that long, so there’s no point in whining about it.”

The impact player is largely responsible for: Ryan Ten Doeschate

With the introduction of the ‘Impact Player’ rule, which has completely changed batting strategies, the Dutch all-rounder realised its significance.

“The impact player has significantly influenced the players’ approach to scoring. When you used to be able to reach past 160 and feel like you would win the game, the game is essentially completely different from what it was ten years ago. To reach a decent score now, you must reach 160 before the 13th over,” he continued.

Ten Doeschate stressed that bowlers must be creative thinkers who are always adjusting their tactics.

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“After setting the off-side field and dragging him across, I fired one shot at the leg stump. You need to think of creative solutions. You must constantly adapt, practically ball by ball. You can’t bowl two balls the same way, and unless the bowlers are in control of the game, I don’t think you can bowl bowlers back-to-back anymore. The onus is all on the batter, and the bowlers have an opportunity to respond,” he said.