Former India and Punjab Kings (PBKS) opening batting coach Wasim Jaffer believes the Indian Premier League needs to do away with the Impact Player rule to encourage the arrival of more all-rounders in Indian cricket.
The Impact Player Rule, which has been in place in the Indian Super League since the 2023 season, allows teams to make one substitution during a match. A substitute player can contribute with both bat and ball, depending on the team’s needs.
“I think IPL needs to get rid of the player influence rule, as it doesn’t encourage all players to play a lot and lack of ARs, batsmen and no bowling is a major concern for Indian cricket. Thoughts?”, Jaffer wrote on X.
The Impact Player Rule allows teams to rely less on all players. Earlier, the general setup of a T20 team consisted of six bowlers, four bowlers and one all-rounder. The more players there are in a team, the more “balanced” the team appears.
Now, teams can play with six specialist batsmen and five bowlers and get an additional batsman or bowler depending on the match situation. This rule, which is now also applied in local matches, simply allowed them to balance even without multiple players.
Jaffer seems to suggest that its effects could be harmful to India. The rule does not apply in international cricket yet and the Men in Blue are relying heavily on all-rounder Hardik Pandya.
Since his debut in 2016, the team has been unable to find an effective replacement for Hardik. If the new rule does not encourage comprehensive product development, it will hurt the supply line even more.
Impact Player Rule may impact IPL 2024 auction selections
The effects can also be seen in the upcoming IPL 2024 auction, which will be held on December 19.
In previous auctions, players like Yuvraj Singh, Chris Morris and even Pat Cummins were all the most expensive signings due to their dual roles.
It remains to be seen whether teams will look to spend more on specialist batsmen and bowlers to take full advantage of the rule.