Rohit Sharma has recently said that he is not happy with new “Impact Player” rule in the IPL. This rule was introduced in 2023, in which teams can include a 12th player at any time during the match. Rohit says that this is hurting the growth of all-rounders in Indian cricket because in the end cricket is played by 11 players, not 12 players.
What is the harm from the Impact Player Rule
During Club Prairie Podcast, hosted by Adam Gilchrist and Michael Vaughan. Rohit said, “I think this rule will stop the growth of all-rounders. If you look only at the cricketing aspect, I can give you many examples. Like Washington Sundar and Shivam Dube are not getting bowling, which is not a good thing for us [India team].” All this comes just weeks before the start of IPL 2024 when the Indian selectors have to finalise a provisional squad of 15 players for the World T20, which will be played in the Caribbean and USA.
Impact Player Rule has been controversial earlier too
Rohit Sharma had also said last year that he likes the “Impact Player Rule”, but he has doubts about how it will affect the role of all-rounders. But now he says that he is not a fan of this rule, as it changes a lot in the game and is being done just for entertainment, which ignores the real cricketing aspect.
When it comes to Shivam Dube, he did well in the recent T20I series against Afghanistan, but he has not bowled for Chennai Super Kings yet in IPL 2024. Similarly, Washington Sundar, who is an offspinner and can also bat, has played just one match this season.
So, according to Rohit, he probably doesn’t see any solution to the impact of the “Impact Player” rule on team dynamics and player growth, but he clearly doesn’t support this rule.
