Shamik Chakrabarty in Colombo
The Impact Player rule is likely to stay in the IPL, it is learnt. It is, however, unlikely that the tournament will see a return of the uncapped player rule.
The IPL had a meeting with the 10 franchise owners on Wednesday, and according to sources, the majority was in favour of retaining the Impact Player rule. A member of the IPL Governing Council also batted for it.
“This will add a new tactical, strategic dimension to the game,” the IPL had said in a press release, while introducing the Impact Player before the 2023 edition. The rule allows a team to use a substitute, from a list of four, as per the situation and the side’s requirement. For example, if a team is batting first, it can field seven specialist batters and then bring in a specialist bowler by subbing a batter when they bowl.
The rule has proven to be detrimental to the bowlers, as average run-rate has seen a sharp increase. As per stats, the average run-rate of the 2022 IPL was 8.04. It increased to 8.99 in 2023. This year, it was 9.67. Also, there’s a school of thought that it is negatively impacting the development of Indian all-rounders.
A lot of players, including Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli, have criticised the rule. “I’m not a big fan of impact player,” Rohit told Club Prairie Podcast, co-hosted by Adam Gilchrist and Michael Vaughan, a few months ago. “You are taking out so much from the game just to make it a little entertaining for the people around. But if you look at genuinely just the cricketing aspect of it; I can give you so many examples — guys like Washington Sundar (and) Shivam Dube are not getting to bowl, which for us is not a good thing.”
IPL chairman Arun Dhumal, however, had extended his support to the rule, as he spoke to RevSportz on the eve of this year’s IPL final. “Is the responsibility of developing all-rounders (lies) only on this tournament?” he had asked. “The BCCI is conducting more than 2,000 cricket matches in a year, where the players get the opportunities to showcase their talent. The Vijay Hazare Trophy, Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, U-16, U-19… There are so many tournaments. And if you see, all the best all-rounders are still part of the team. So, you have to raise your benchmark as an all-rounder to be part of the team.”
Interestingly, the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, the domestic T20 tournament, also has the Impact Player rule and a section believes that to help develop Indian all-rounders, the rule can be done away with in that tournament.
It is learnt that during Wednesday’s meeting, only one franchise expressed its reservations over the Impact Player, while the rest supported it. Another question came up during the meeting was whether a player who has retired for five years or more should be considered on a par with an uncapped player at the 2025 mega auction? According to sources, Chennai Super Kings are in favour of it, as they want MS Dhoni to be classified in that category. The former India captain last played international cricket in 2019.
The rule was in place from 2008 before it was scrapped in 2021. RevSportz understands that at least three franchises objected to its return.
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