Former India captain Sunil Gavaskar has proposed a major rule change for the Indian Premier League, suggesting that bowlers who take a certain number of wickets during their spell should be rewarded with an additional over. The batting legend believes the move could help restore balance in T20 cricket, where bowlers are increasingly under pressure due to flat pitches, short boundaries and aggressive batting approaches.

Writing in his column for Mid Day, Sunil Gavaskar argued that the modern T20 format has become heavily tilted in favour of batters. According to him, the large number of centuries and 200-plus totals in IPL 2026 is largely due to batting-friendly conditions and smaller grounds, while bowlers are left with very little margin for error.

Gavaskar explained that close contests between bat and ball remain far more entertaining than one-sided run-fests. He also pointed out that batters have looked uncomfortable whenever surfaces offered pace, bounce or movement, especially against genuine fast bowlers like Jofra Archer and Kagiso Rabada. “This is where one feels that the restriction of only four overs to a bowler could be looked at again,” Sunil Gavaskar wrote.

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The former India skipper suggested that any bowler who manages to pick up three wickets in their allocated four overs should earn the right to bowl an additional over. He believes such a rule would encourage captains and bowlers to attack for wickets rather than simply try to contain runs.

“If a batter can bat the entire 20 overs, why can’t a bowler who gets, say, three wickets in his four overs be allowed to bowl another over as a reward for getting those wickets?” Sunil Gavaskar questioned. “This way teams will also try getting wickets instead of trying only to save runs being scored. After all, the best dot ball is the wicket-taking dot ball, isn’t it?” he added.

Currently, IPL rules allow each bowler to bowl a maximum of four overs. Sunil Gavaskar used Bhuvneshwar Kumar’s recent performance for the Royal Challengers Bengaluru against the Mumbai Indians as an example. Bhuvneshwar claimed three wickets early and later added a fourth scalp, but under the existing rules, RCB could not use him beyond his quota despite his match-winning rhythm.

Gavaskar believes the proposed rule would add a fresh tactical dimension to T20 cricket while also giving bowlers a fairer opportunity to influence matches. He further highlighted challenges bowlers already face, including short boundaries and strict wide-ball interpretations for bouncers passing marginally over a batter’s head.

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“Giving the bowlers and the fielding captain an incentive to take wickets and not just be defensive from the first ball would be something worth trying out,” he said.

The cricket legend concluded by suggesting that the experimental rule should first be tested in domestic T20 competitions and city leagues, including the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, before potentially being introduced in the IPL.