Introduced to the Indian Premier League (IPL) in the 2023 season, the Impact Player rule is here to stay, at least for now. With the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) yet to conduct a formal review of the much-criticised tweak, the question remains: why can’t it simply be scrapped immediately?
What is the Impact Player rule?
In simple terms, the Impact Player rule allows teams to make a tactical substitution during a match, although it differs significantly from football-style changes.
Before the match begins, each team names a playing XI along with five substitutes. During the game, the captain can bring in one of these substitutes as an Impact Player to replace any player from the starting XI. This substitution can only take place at specific moments, at the start of an innings, at the end of an over, after the fall of a wicket, or when a batter retires.
There is, however, a restriction: if a bowling side introduces an Impact Player in the middle of an over (after a wicket or retirement), the incoming player cannot bowl the remaining deliveries of that over. That said, the Impact Player is still allowed to bowl their full quota of four overs, regardless of how many overs the replaced player had already delivered.
Once substituted, the outgoing player cannot return or take any further part in the match. Each team is allowed to use only one Impact Player per game.
There is also an overseas-player clause. If a team fields four overseas players in their starting XI, they can only bring in an Indian player as the Impact Player. However, if they start with three or fewer overseas players, they may introduce an overseas substitute.
Why did BCCI introduce it in IPL?
The BCCI first trialled the Impact Player rule in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy before extending it to the IPL, although it was later scrapped in the domestic T20 tournament.
The move was not random. It was introduced primarily as a tactical and entertainment-driven innovation. “This will add a new tactical, strategic dimension to the game,” the IPL had said in a press release while introducing the rule ahead of the 2023 edition.
However, within a season, it drew sharp criticism, most notably from Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma, with many arguing that it tilted the balance against bowlers. The average run rate climbed from 8.5 in 2023 to over 9 in 2025.
“I’m not a big fan of impact player,” the former Mumbai Indians captain told Club Prairie Podcast, co-hosted by Adam Gilchrist and Michael Vaughan in 2024. “You are taking out so much from the game just to make it a little entertaining for the people around. But if you look at genuinely just the cricketing aspect of it; I can give you so many examples, guys like Washington Sundar (and) Shivam Dube are not getting to bowl, which for us is not a good thing.”
IPL chairman Arun Dhumal, however, strongly defended the rule.
“Is the responsibility of developing all-rounders (lies) only on this tournament?” he had asked in a conversation with RevSportz before the 2023 final. “The BCCI is conducting more than 2,000 cricket matches in a year, where the players get the opportunities to showcase their talent. The Vijay Hazare Trophy, Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, U-16, U-19… There are so many tournaments. And if you see, all the best all-rounders are still part of the team. So, you have to raise your benchmark as an all-rounder to be part of the team.”
In the same month, Jay Shah, then BCCI secretary, described it as a “test case”, adding that it “is not permanent, but I am not saying that it will go.”
Despite the criticism, the IPL Governing Council, in September 2024, retained the rule and extended it until 2027. The decision followed a meeting with all 10 franchise owners, where only one team raised objections, while the majority backed its continuation. The IPL believes the rule enhances the spectacle and improves the viewing experience.
Two years on, however, criticism from players continues to grow.
According to a PTI report, the issue was discussed extensively during the IPL captains’ meeting in Mumbai, with a larger section this time voicing concerns. Earlier this week, Delhi Capitals skipper Axar Patel joined Rohit Sharma in criticising the rule, while last season, Glenn Phillips also warned about its potential long-term impact on all-rounders.
Why can’t BCCI do away with it right now?
“The Impact Player Regulation will continue for the 2025 to 2027 cycle,” the IPL stated in its 2024 release.
This effectively means the rule is tied to a fixed regulatory cycle and is not subject to annual changes. As a result, even though the BCCI and IPL officials, as reported by The Hindu, acknowledged the concerns raised by captains during recent discussions, they clarified that the rule will remain in place at least until the end of IPL 2027.
A formal review is expected only after the completion of the league’s 20th season, meaning any potential rollback will have to wait.
