BCCI to review Impact Player Rule after the end of IPL 2024 season
In a recent Club Prairie Fire Podcast with Adam Gilchrist and Michael Vaughan, Mumbai Indians' Rohit Sharma expressed his concerns over the rule affecting the performance of the young all-rounders considering the teams bring in a spare batter or a bowler.
The BCCI has time and again introduced new rules in the Indian Premier league to keep the tournament interesting while adding elements that can enhance the matches’ entertainment levels. The board previously introduced the rule of bringing in an impact player in IPL 2023 that gained mixed reviews from the cricket fraternity.
The rule allows both the teams to swap a player from the Playing XI and introduce another player midway into the game from a previously set list of five players to make their team stronger in crucial conditions. However, several cricketers and experts have criticised the rule for affecting the true essence of the sport.
In a recent Club Prairie Fire Podcast with Adam Gilchrist and Michael Vaughan, Mumbai Indians' Rohit Sharma expressed his concerns over the rule affecting the performance of the young all-rounders considering the teams bring in a spare batter or a bowler.
"I generally feel that it is going to hold back (all-rounders) because eventually cricket is played by 11 players, not 12 players. I'm not a big fan of Impact Player (rule). You are taking out so much from the game just to make it a little entertaining for the people. But if you look (at) genuinely, just the cricketing aspect of it... I can give you so many examples — guys like Washington Sundar, Shivam Dube are not getting to bowl, which for us is not a good thing," Rohit said.
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Adding to Rohit’s statements, India’s ace pacer Jasprit Bumrah gave a similar statement criticising the impact player rule during Mumbai Indians' recently concluded match against Punjab Kings.
Bumrah said, “This format is a little difficult for bowlers, with time restrictions and impact player rules. Batting lineup becomes deeper and deeper. But that's not in your control.”
BCCI To Review ‘Impact Player Rule’ after IPL 2024 Amid criticism
The IPL council chairman Arun Dhumal recently addressed the criticism for the impact player rule from the India captain. Dhumal asserted the possibility of reviewing the rule after the conclusion of IPL 2024 with all the parties involved in the decision making to take a call on the new directive.
"Now that such an observation has been made, we will definitely look into it. We will discuss with all parties involved and then take a call. There are various pros and cons to any rule that is in place. We are open to any discussion once the season gets over... nothing is cast in stone about its implementation," Arun Dhumal was quoted as saying by The Telegraph.
The 17th season of the Indian Premier League is currently being conducted in full swing and the BCCI will be eyeing the squad selection for the upcoming T20 World Cup 2024.