"Always wondered why there was this reticence" - RCB coach Andy Flower welcomes key rule change for IPL 2025

Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) coach Andy Flower has welcomed the rule change to have a second ball in the second innings for the upcoming IPL 2025. He also questioned the umpires' reluctance to change a ball affected by dew mid-innings.

With dew prevalent in several venues in India, batting gets slightly easier under the lights. Hence, teams usually choose to bowl first after winning the toss. However, teams batting second are unlikely to have an overwhelming advantage in IPL 2025 as ball change has now been allowed after the 11th over of the innings should the umpire allow.

Speaking ahead of RCB's tournament opener against the Kolkata Knight Riders, Flower said the balance between bat and ball was critical and it was time to find a solution. He said, as quoted by Cricbuzz:

"I like the rule change. I've always wondered why there was this reticence on the umpires' part to change the ball, to make it an even and fair contest, and that's what we're looking for. You know, the people that make the rules under which we play the game of cricket, and ground staff preparing pitches, we're always looking for a fair balance between bat and ball, and in conditions where dew does affect game significantly, think that's a really good rule change, and about time."

The Royal Challengers have often been at the receiving end of dew, given it comes down hard on the Chinnaswamy Stadium's pitch. With shorter boundaries at the venue, run-scoring becomes exceedingly easy.

"We'll see if it has an effect" - Andy Flower on lifting of saliva ban

Andy Flower. (Image Credits: Getty)

With the BCCI also removing the ban on applying saliva on the ball ahead of IPL 2025, the 56-year-old said he didn't see it as a significant change. He stated:

"The saliva part, I mean, I don't see it as being that important. We'll see if it has an effect, as long as not too many people all of a sudden become huge fans of sugary sweets."

Flower also sees the shift in T20 batting dynamics becoming even more pronounced in IPL this year and added:

"You definitely see batting swings becoming a little more baseball-like, absolutely, and physiques. So a lot of the batsmen are getting bigger and stronger, and they're recognizing the importance of strength. And in fact, a better description would be power rather than strength. So strength added with speed. And you get this power output of these really, really strong guys."

The Royal Challengers will be targeting their first IPL title in the upcoming season.