The impact player rule was introduced in IPL 2023 and Now that half the season is over , it will be a good time to look at whether the impact player rule has worked or not and whether this rule should be continued in the upcoming seasons of the IPL as well. The impact player rule was brought in by the BCCI with good intentions as they wanted to reduce the impact of the toes on the match.
The different experts have had differing opinions about this rule change and whether this rule has had any positive impact on the game. The teams have had the chance to play with 12 players overall instead of 11 and this is something that a lot of ex Cricketers are not comfortable with.
So, let’s see whether the impact player rule has worked or not:
The Impact Player has given the old IPL greats to have a comeback
One of the positive impacts that this new rule has brought about is the chances it has given to the old IPL greats so that the skill in which they are very good at, they could do that and then in the next innings of the match be substituted for another player. For example the likes of Piyush Chawla and Amit Mishra are leg spinners who had retired from the IPL or had become commentators and this impact player rule has allowed then to play for different teams and they are now bowling really well and taking wickets for their teams. Ajinkya Rahane is also an example of this as CSK only use him when they want to bat.
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It has given uncapped Indians a chance to shine
Another one of the positive impacts of the rule is that it has given several young Indian players to shine at the biggest stage and they are able to bat or bowl as an impact player and there are a few examples that come to light. For example Suyash Sharma from Kolkata Knight Riders is the best example of the impact player rule that has allowed him to shine with the ball as a leg spinner and he has taken 7 wickets. And Dhruv Jurel if Rajasthan Royals is another player who has batted so well and he is the future of Indian cricket. Noor Ahmed from Afghanistan has also got this same opportunity for Gujarat Titans.
It has reduced the importance of all Rounders in cricket
The biggest negative impact that this rule has had is the reduced importance it has made of the all rounder players because teams can play specialist batters and Bowlers and the teams do not use the all rounders in the IPL Matches. And reducing the importance of such an important skill set is something that cannot be expected because the all Rounders are the most important Players in the teams. The likes of Ben Stokes, Andre Russell are the players that have been impacted by this.
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The match has become 12 on 12 and this is not cricket is about
Cricket is about 11 players playing 11 and the better team wins the matches and the selection issues that the teams have when they have to pick the 11 has been completely diluted in this rule and this has angered a lot of people who know a lot about the sport. There are no challenges at all for the team management and the players who might not be the best could get an opportunity in the 12. And when the IPL will get over then it will once again he 11 vs 11 so there will be no use of this rule.
The Impact Player Rule has some positives but this rule should not be there from the next season and it should be 11 vs 11 where all the 3 types of players are able to play in the match.
