The impact player rule continues to be a talking point. First introduced by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2023 season received mixed responses. Many liked the idea of adding another play into the mix. Traditionalists weren’t sold by it, though.
Dravid didn’t like the impact player rule
Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli both didn’t seem to be that satisfied with the change. But the BCCI remains unbothered by the criticism. Three years later, the impact player rule remains in the IPL. As it turns out, it was just the biggest cricketers who didn’t like the rule, but then India cricket team head coach Rahul Dravid wasn’t that pleased either.
“It has certainly added a different dynamic. I’ll be honest: when I was India’s coach, I wasn’t particularly fond of the Impact Player rule. Not because it doesn’t make the game more competitive — it certainly does. It adds complexity and keeps matches alive till the very end. But from a national team perspective, it posed some challenges,” Dravid told Sportstar.
How all-rounders are affected
The rule came out exactly a year before Dravid left as India’s coach. He felt that the impact player rule could affect the quality of players coming into the Indian team. All-rounders like Washington Sundar have been marginalised since the rule came in 2023. Sundar has played just 10 matches since the change.
“As a coach, you want to develop all-rounders, and under the old 11 vs 11 format, certain players would have had more opportunities to bat or bowl in different situations. The Impact Player rule has changed that to some extent,” the RR head coach added.
What use are plans?
Planning just goes out of the window. You get an opposition 5 or 6 down, and then an impact substitute can beat you on his own. That doesn’t happen in international cricket. And one can see why Dravid wasn’t too pleased about it. As for IPL teams, they couldn’t do much about it. The rule improved the chances of an otherwise improbable victory.
“Statistically, scoring rates have increased due to teams having an extra specialist batter. This means no team is ever truly out of a game. You can have a batter at No.8 or even No.9, which allows for aggressive hitting even after losing six or seven wickets. While having an all-rounder still brings balance, teams can now manage without one if they don’t find the right fit,” Dravid concluded.
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