Wasim Jaffer links the Impact Player rule to the underdevelopment of all-round players, saying “IPL needs to take it away.”

There is a lot of excitement surrounding the 2024 Indian Premier League (IPL) auction, particularly after the Impact Player rule changed the mechanics of player selection the previous season. In addition to numerous other benefits, this regulation permitted the bowling team to replace a player with an impact player who could bowl the entire four-over allotment, regardless of how many overs the replacement bowled. Wasim Jaffer, a former Indian cricket player, offered his thoughts on this rule. He emphasized how all-rounders can get away with bowling a little and called for its abolition to improve Indian cricket.

Wasim Jaffer expressed his worries on Twitter by writing,

“I believe the impact player rule should be removed from the IPL because it isn’t encouraging all-rounders to bowl frequently, and a key problem for Indian cricket is the lack of ARs and hitters who don’t bowl. Ideas?”

I think IPL needs to take away the impact player rule, as it’s not encouraging the all rounders to bowl much and lack of ARs and batters not bowling is a major area of concern for Indian cricket. Thoughts? #IPL2024 #iplauction2024

— Wasim Jaffer (@WasimJaffer14) December 10, 2023

What does a rule’s “Impact” mean?

The Impact Player Regulation resulted in a major shift in team tactics. At the toss, each team had to name four substitutes from which they could select their impact player. When a wicket fell or a batsman retired, for example, or at the beginning of an innings or in between overs, the captain had the power to choose the impact player.

The bowling side’s ability to insert an impact player during an over was restricted, though. The impact player would not be permitted to finish the remaining balls of the over if they were substituted mid-over owing to a wicket or a retired batsman. Moreover, even as a replacement fielder, the substituted player was not permitted to rejoin the game.

One of the league’s primary requirements was that the impact player be an Indian, unless a team’s starting eleven included fewer than four foreign players. These factors are expected to be taken into account by teams as they plan their player selections for future auctions and games.