Ex-India opener Wasim Jaffer asserted that the Indian Premier League (IPL) should take away the Impact Player rule ahead of IPL 2024. In a post on X, Jaffer opined that the rule did not encourage the all-rounders to bowl much and that it was an alarming sign for Indian cricket.
Introduced in IPL 2023, the Impact Player rule allowed teams to strategize effectively by providing them the option of fielding a player of their own choice at any point of the game. Wasim Jaffer lamented that the lack of all-rounders and batters not bowling much was a major area of concern for Indian cricket.
Impact Player rule explained
As per IPL handbook, a team can bring an Impact Player to replace another player originally named in the Playing XI. But the player who is replaced can no longer take part in the match. Furthermore, an Impact Player can only be an Indian unless the team fields less than four foreign players in the match day squad.
- Teams should announce five substitutes apart from the Playing XI before the start of the match.
- A team can bring in an Impact Player before the start of the innings, after the fall of a wicket or at the end of an over.
- Impact Player can be used in case of an injury. But the injured player can no longer take part in the match.
- The substitute player can bat and bowl a full quota of overs irrespective of the player he is replacing.
- But the Impact Player rule does not apply to matches shortened to 10 overs or less.
