Players and teams have now seen that the game can be played differently and there might be no reason to go back. For instance, Sunrisers Hyderabad’s Abhishek Sharma hit 42 sixes, the most by a batter this season, and this meant that more than half of his 484 runs came through sixes (252). A new mindset was driving this change as was the “Impact Player” rule, which allowed teams to replace a batter or bowler in the line-up. The cushion it provided teams played a huge role in the madness that played out.

It was fun for the fans but a question many, including players, seemed to be asking was whether this was good for the game. A balance between bat and ball is crucial because it keeps both the batters and bowlers interested. It also means there is more than one way to win a match. In IPL 2024, the scales became more uneven than ever before. Maybe the BCCI will give this rule a rethink in the coming season, or perhaps, given enough time, the bowlers, as they showed in the final, will find a way to fight back and restore the balance.