Get ready for an exciting season of IPL with the Impact Player rule in play!

Get ready for an exciting season of IPL with the Impact Player rule in play!

 

The Indian Premier League (IPL) is all set to begin its 16th season on March 31, 2023, and for the first time since its inception in 2008, the league has introduced the Impact Player rule. Under this rule, teams can replace any player from the playing-11 with a player sitting on the bench in the middle of the match. The rule can be used between one and 14 overs in both innings, and a team can use the player replacement rule only once in the entire match.

Experts believe that this rule will reduce the effect of all-rounders in the game and will benefit teams like Gujarat, Lucknow, and Rajasthan. According to the head coach of Delhi Capitals and Australia's World Cup-winning captain Ricky Ponting, teams will replace the top-order batter with a specialist bowler when batting first. Teams would like to maximize the powerplay by sending top-order batsmen even when quick wickets fall, reducing the use of Indian all-rounders who bowl 2-3 overs with batting at numbers 6 to 9.

Former Sunrisers Hyderabad coach and former Australian cricketer Tom Moody also believe that this rule will reduce Indian all-rounders. However, RCB coach and former Kiwi cricketer Mike Hesson's opinion is different from Ponting and Moody. He said that teams can even bring in all-rounders by replacing specialist batsmen when batting first. With this, that player will also be able to bowl four overs in the second innings after batting.

Foreign players can also be impact players, but if there are already four foreign players in the playing-11, then the impact player will be a domestic Indian player only. The player who goes out of the ground after being replaced will not be able to field again in the match. The 12th player who comes to the ground will replace one of the players in the playing-11, and the team captain will have to inform the on-field umpires about the player's replacement.

In conclusion, the Impact Player rule will be an exciting addition to the IPL, giving teams more flexibility and options in the middle of the game. While some experts believe that this rule will reduce the influence of Indian all-rounders, others believe that it will increase the use of all-rounders. Nonetheless, teams like Lucknow and Rajasthan are expected to benefit from this rule, and it will be interesting to see how different teams use it to their advantage in the upcoming season.

Also Read IPL Season 16 - All ten teams analysis