IPL: Too hot for the players to handle?
By Tanya Aldred
Catches may win matches, but could the extreme heat and humidity in this year’s IPL be causing them to slip through (sweaty) fingers?
The experts think so.
Last Saturday, on the post-match IPL discussion show Cricbuzz Live, Adam Gilchrist, Shaun Pollock and Gaurav Kapur discussed the sheer number of drops that have plagued this year’s tournament – something Gilchrist called “sloppy”
“It’s the heat and humidity, said Kapur “it plays a part. You know what the weather is like outside - you pretty much start sweating in the shower, not after it. Ultimately, it’s such small margins, it’s a milli-second delayed reaction, it’s a sightly slippery hand, it’s the heat where you did one less practise session with catching.”
Gilchrist was sure. “Most definitely. The heat and humidity, a bit of fatigue can creep in, they’re pretty extreme conditions. Ahmedabad yesterday was 46 degrees.
“I suppose the weather at practise, you’re thinking save your energy,” added Pollock “maybe what’s being sacrificed is the fielding sessions.”
All this fits with the warnings issued in the 2019 Hit for Six Report, which claimed that playing sport in intense heat would lead to “Poorer performance due to the deteriorating cognitive function resulting in more errors, shorter innings and lower skill levels.”
This spring, the heat has hit India hard and with abandon. Delhi had its hottest April since 2022, with much less rainfall than is usual in April - 0.7mm compared to the average of 16.3mm. The temperatures have soared past 40 degrees, ClimaMeter has measured them “up to 5C above the seasonal average” By late April, the Delhi authorities were instructing schools to cancel all outdoor activity, timetable regular water breaks and have rehydration salts on hand.
But the IPL has thundered on, regardless of players or fans. Those hoping to watch the Gujarat Titans play the Delhi Capitals at Ahmedabad in April were promised “mist fans in all sun-facing stands, along with sun screen and sun visors. Additionally, free drinking water, ORS, and mobile medical facilities” making the match sound more like a trial than a pleasure. On the field, a number of players including Axar Patel and Prasidh Krishna struggled with cramp, while a visibly distressed Ishant Sharma spent much of the match crouched on the sidelines.
And all of this is sponsored by huge carbon emitter, fossil fuel giant Aramco, who instead of putting their name to the purple and orange caps, should perhaps be sponsoring the drop of the match. A legacy of sorts.
