LSG coach Lance Klusener blames bowlers for big scores in IPL 2024

While several experts have been blaming the impact player rule for the bowlers' dire condition in the ongoing IPL 2024, Lucknow Super Giants assistant coach Lance Klusener believes the bowlers have only themselves to blame for.

His comments came after LSG failed to defend 196 runs at their home ground against Rajasthan Royals on Saturday (April 27). Riding on half-centuries from their captain KL Rahul and Deepak Hooda, LSG posted only the second 190-plus total in Lucknow this season. However, they failed to end up on the winning side as unbeaten fifties from Sanju Samson and Dhruv Jurel saw the Royals chase down the total with ease in 19 overs.

Lance Klusener blames the bowlers:

Speaking at the end of the game, Lance Klusener stated that the quality of the bowling in IPL 2024 has not been impressive. The South Africa legend said that while the batsmen have been too good, the bowling has been ordinary this season. He also rued the lack of good bowling in the death overs this season. While he admitted that the conditions are not easy for the bowlers, he also made sure to criticise the bowlers for their performance.

"I think just looking at bowling performances throughout the competition, for me it has been quite disappointing," Klusener said. "There hasn't been a lot of good bowling. It's been a lot of ordinary bowling and batters are just so good these days that they're taking advantage.

"Maybe the batters have evolved a lot quicker than the bowlers but I haven't seen a lot of good death bowling in the competition so far. And that's when teams have been able to take advantage. Sure the surfaces have been flat, and there's not been swing either. I think the batters have evolved a little bit quicker than the bowlers," he added.

Bowlers over-complicating things:

Speaking further, Lance Klusener stated that the bowlers are just over-complicating things and have made things difficult for themselves. The former cricketer said that just relying on the good old way of bowling yorkers in the death overs would have been better for the bowlers as he said that the bowlers are needlessly going for 'slower balls and a whole lot of other variations'.

"For me personally, I think it's easy to over-complicate. If you run in and execute even four out of six yorkers... we don't see that skill anymore. We're going to slower balls and a whole lot of other variations so I feel that pure death bowling, yorkers, whether wide or straight, that's a skill that we don't see very often these days," he said.

IPL 2024 stats:

The ongoing season has been an absolute run-fest. Eight of the top ten highest team total of all time in the IPL have been scored this season. The ways things are going at the moment, the bowlers need to come up with remarkable effort to turn things around and make their presence felt in the tournament.

Here is a list of top ten highest totals in the IPL: