IPL cannot have too stringent a cut-off time for innings completion, reckons Mahela Jayawardene

Former Sri Lanka captain and Mumbai Indians coach Mahela Jayawardene opined that the Indian Premier League (IPL) cannot have too stringent a cut-off time to complete an innings.

He reckons that it might reduce the turnaround time for the bowlers and thereby affect the quality of the game.

Jayawardene was reflecting on the rule in The Hundred that stipulates having an extra fielder in the 30-yard circle in case the bowling side doesn’t finish their innings in time.

Speaking to ESPNCricinfo, Mahela Jayawardene pointed out that we cannot compare the IPL with The Hundred.

"What might happen if you shorten it too much is that the quality of the game might reduce because the bowlers don't have time to think through certain things. It's a fine line.

"I like the fact we're being pushed here and that you get penalized during the game rather than a fine or a warning afterwards.

"It's good for this competition as a domestic tournament, but it's tough to compare it with the IPL - the viewership and the content and requirements are quite different," Jayawardene said.

The former Sri Lanka skipper wants the bowlers in the IPL to have enough time to strategize so that the game will have tactical quality.

"If a product requires that quality and needs bowlers to take their time, then tactically that might be better for the viewers rather than rushing through. I see the two quite differently."

Mahela Jayawardene is currently in the UK with his assignment as the head coach of the Southern Brave in The Hundred.

💥 1 run needed to win.💥 1 run needed to score fifty runs.@dunkleysophia guides Southern Brave to an emphatic win! 😎 #TheHundred pic.twitter.com/WysQuaQw9d

— The Hundred (@thehundred) August 7, 2021

"Definitely like the fact that the new batter has to come in to strike at the fall of a wicket" - Mahela Jayawardene

Mahela Jayawardene is the head coach of the Southern Brave in The Hunderd

Mahela Jayawardene revealed that he liked the rule in The Hundred that demands the new batter to be on strike irrespective of whether the batters cross during the previous delivery.

Currently, the batter on strike changes if they manage to cross each other during the dismissal. The rule gives a strategic advantage to the batting side.

"I definitely like the fact that the new batter has to come in to strike at the fall of a wicket, even if it's a catch and the guys have crossed. That's a very interesting rule," he said.

"In some situations in T20 cricket, in a two-over slab at the back end, it becomes almost a free hit for a tailender off the last ball of the first over.

"But in this scenario - and it happened in our last game - you don't have that free hit for a tailender. He still has to rotate the strike or not get out.”

The fact that a bowler has been allowed to bowl two blocks of five deliveries back-to-back has also impressed the Mumbai Indians coach.

"Even the two overs in a row for a bowler makes it tactically quite fascinating. You have to plan a lot with your strike bowlers and where you can use them."

Mahela Jayawardene will join the Mumbai Indians side in the UAE for the second phase of IPL 2021 after the completion of The Hundred.

✨ 𝙃𝙞𝙜𝙝𝙡𝙞𝙜𝙝𝙩𝙨 ✨ of the Southern Brave against the Northern Superchargers #TheHundred 💯pic.twitter.com/pt5bngMjm1

— Sky Sports News (@SkySportsNews) August 7, 2021