0
0
The Impact Player rule could soon be consigned to the history books. After several prominent IPL captains raised serious concerns that the rule is undermining the role and relevance of all-rounders, the IPL Governing Council is set to sit down with the captains and chart the future course of one of the league’s most debated innovations, sources told CricBlogger.
The concerns are impossible to ignore. Players such as Shivam Dube, Washington Sunder, Venkatesh Iyer and Rahul Tewatia have found it increasingly difficult to establish themselves as genuine all-round options, with teams often able to deploy specialist batters and bowlers instead of relying on multi-skilled players.
The result has been a growing imbalance: batters are reaping the lion’s share of the benefits, while the traditional all-rounder risks becoming an endangered species in the IPL. With teams able to bring in an Impact Player and effectively operate with an extended specialist squad during matches, the incentive to develop and play genuine all-rounders has taken a hit.
The IPL authorities have taken note of the growing unease and are now keen to review the rule before future editions of the tournament. “The IPL’s next big tactical shake-up could therefore be the removal of the very rule that was designed to transform the game,” a source told CricBlogger.
Sources also said that, since franchises have built their squads around the Impact Player rule, the board could consider extending it for one more season if there is scope to do so. Otherwise, the rule is unlikely to survive beyond the 2027 season and could be scrapped altogether from IPL 2028.
“If the captains are coming together and raising concerns like this, the Impact Player rule could become a thing of the past very soon,” another source added.
