It’s been over a year and the second season since implementing the highly controversial and game-changing impact player rule into the IPL. It was seen initially in the BBL as the X-factor rule, but implementing it in the biggest league in cricket was always going to bring in its share of controversies and appreciation. Let’s look at some of the changes that this rule has brought to the game.
Bye bye, allrounders?
Let’s look at a team like RR, that has perhaps the best advantage from a rule like this. They’re a brilliant side, great batting core and an incredibly experienced bowling lineup. But what they do lack is a genuine allrounder. That’s where the rule has helped them immensely. They can just play an expert batsman and an expert bowler instead of playing an allrounder. But this also means that the value of allrounders has decreased quite significantly. If you can get 12 players into the field when you need it, the need for an allrounder is so much lesser.
Sure, other teams still use all rounders and they are vital to the tournament, but RR have shown that with this rule, they’re not a necessity. And that’s where a problem lies. We need to build allrounders from this circuit, for the betterment of our T20 international team. We have found incredible all rounders in terms of Hardik Pandya, Axar Patel and many others who have proved themselves in the IPL. While these players would still be relevant currently, it may be difficult to produce more genuine allrounders when they’re not that much of a requirement.
Hello, opportunity!
With that being said, let’s think about some of the impact players that have won their teams’ games- Ishan Porel, Ashutosh Sharma, among many others. Most of these players would have found it particularly difficult to find their way into the traditional playing XI. But with the impact player rule, when the team finds itself in certain situations, they give rise to players who the management think will be able to get the team into a better position. And with that comes the advent of some brilliant talents that have proved their team management right. Some of them will now find a place in the XI consistently because of this, which will then cause a surge in the emergence of talent. Because 12 players are playing a game instead of 11, it’s an opportunity for another player to find their way to stardom, an opportunity to show the world their abilities.
The impact player rule has brought some sensational players onto the spotlight, but it has been at the cost of moving the spotlight from some others, some who may deserve it. Overall, the rule has made the game that much more entertaining, as teams can claw their way back into matches that in a normal setting they would’ve lost from the get go. Matches are a lot less incredibly one-sided, although sometimes it’s too late, or the gamble doesn’t pay off putting the team into an even deeper hole. But, the unpredictability that it brings to the table is thrilling and will continue to be a fun addition to the game. If it will go through changes, only time will tell; and like T20 cricket’s nature is, it probably will.
