BCCI Open to Revising Impact Player Rule in IPL Amid Criticism from Rohit Sharma

After Rohit Sharma brought attention to the Impact Player rule in the IPL and its negative impact on the development of all-round players, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) expressed openness to revising it.

The Board is furious after the Team India skipper offered a scathing assessment of the regulation, which was put into effect during the 2022–2023 Syed Mushtaq Ali T20 event and has been in existence since last season.

"Since this remark has been made, we will undoubtedly investigate it. IPL governing council chairman Arun Dhumal told The Telegraph on Friday, "We will talk with all parties involved and then make a decision."

Every regulation that is in place has a number of advantages and disadvantages. Nothing about its execution is set in stone, so once the season is complete, we are open to any debate," Dhumal stated.

The captain of Team India stated that he is "not a big fan of Impact Player" regulation during an interview with Adam Gilchrist and Michael Vaughan on the Club Prairie Fire Podcast.

"I generally feel that it is going to hold back (all-rounders) because eventually cricket is played by 11 players, not 12 players," Rohit stated on the podcast. "I don't really like Impact Player (rule). To make the game somewhat engaging for the audience, you are removing a great deal from it.

"But if you look (at) genuinely, just the cricketing aspect of it... I can give you so many examples — guys like Washington Sundar, Shivam Dube are not getting to bowl, which for us is not a good thing," said Rohit.

Following the Mumbai Indians' victory over the Punjab Kings on Thursday, Jasprit Bumrah was also crucial. "With the time restrictions (over-rate penalties) as well and the Impact Player rule, that does not help the bowler too much because the batting line-up becomes deeper and deeper and the bowler becomes half the bowler when you get an extra option," the fast bowler stated.

When Rohit spoke, the June T20 World Cup preparations were in the background. Due to a provision that permits Chennai Super Kings to deploy an additional specialist bowler, Dube, one of the team's potential all-rounders and power hitters, hasn't bowled an over in this season.

The fact that even Hardik Pandya hasn't performed to his full ability in the bowl has worried the national selectors. He has only finished his allotted overs twice, in their away games against Punjab Kings and Sunrisers Hyderabad. Since the regulation gave him the opportunity to rely on alternative choices, he has bowled in five of the seven matches.

India's limited-overs teams have always struggled with a deficiency of all-rounders. Such regulations are thought to be out of place in a high-profile franchise league like the Indian Premier League as player growth cannot be impeded by innovation.

A 'X-factor' in the Big Bash League was player substitution, allowing any of the two named replacement players to be fielded at the ten-over point. But there was a catch: the player who was going to be changed in the BBL couldn't have bowled or batted for more than one over. But before the 2022–2023 BBL season, the concept was abandoned in response to input from the teams.

The 'Super Sub' player substitute was a trial that the ICC also tried in 2005 during one-day international matches, but it was abandoned after just one year.