The IPL's impact player rule has not gone down well with some current players and coaches, but former India coach Ravi Shastri is in favour, saying it has contributed to some exciting finishes:
"The Impact Player [rule] is good. You have to evolve with the times. You know, it happens in other sports as well. It's got tighter finishes. You have to evolve with the times and I think it's a good rule. You saw the number of tight finishes we had in last year's IPL. So, you know, it has made a big difference."
While some, like India captain Rohit Sharma, feel the rule is detrimental to the development of all-rounders, Ashwin cited the example of Dhruv Jurel, who started his IPL career as an impact player in IPL 2023 and made his Test debut for India within a year.
Jay Shah, the BCCI secretary, said last week that the impact player rule was "not permanent" and that a decision on its use in subsequent editions of the IPL would be taken after a discussion with stakeholders following the 2024 T20 World Cup.
Shah was speaking to reporters at the BCCI's headquarters in Mumbai on Thursday:
"Impact Player is like a test case. We have implemented it slowly. The biggest advantage of it is that two Indian players are getting a chance [in each game], which is the most important. We will consult with the players, franchises, broadcasters [and take a call]. This is not permanent [but] I am not saying that it will go.”
Rohit was the first high-profile Indian player to criticise the rule, which was introduced in the IPL in 2023 after being trialled in the domestic Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy T20 tournament, allowing teams to bring in a 12th player at any point in the match to replace a player from the original XI announced at the toss.
Among those speaking out against the rule were Axar Patel and Mukesh Kumar of Delhi Capitals (DC).
However, DC head coach Ricky Ponting had said he was happy for the IPL to retain the impact player if it made the tournament a "better spectacle". But from a coaching perspective, he admitted he wasn't too keen on the rule, calling it a "nightmare".