The Impact Player idea, which will be implemented in the next Indian Premier League (IPL) 17, may only be applicable to players from India. The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has not yet released the rules for how it will operate, but BCCI management who are in contact with the franchises have said that only Indian players would be allowed to enter the game as the 12th player or as an active substitute.
According to information obtained by Cricbuzz, the franchises have been informed that no team would be permitted to replace an Indian player with a foreign player or insert an overseas player in place of another overseas player.
The goal of the rule is to protect the core, legally-binding IPL rule that only four foreign players may participate in a match. It is not yet known whether a foreign player will be permitted to enter a game if a team only has three foreign players in the starting XI.
The BCCI latest statement read, “…Also note that from IPL 2023 Season a tactical/strategic concept will be introduced to add a new dimension to IPL, wherein one substitute player per team will be able to take a more active part in an IPL match. The regulations pertaining to the same will be issued shortly.”
The franchises are now thinking about the concept. Although the majority of teams are in favour of the experiment, there is a general consensus that the rule may significantly diminish the value of an all-rounder and boost the impact of specialists. A team can utilise a specialised bowler when bowling and switch him out for a specialist batter when chasing, which is the basis for the inference. The restriction might also have a significant impact on the December 23 auction in Kochi.
This year’s Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy (SMAT) was the debut of the Impact Player idea, and the BCCI is pleased with how well the trial ran. The BCCI took inspiration for this from sports like football and a few others where substitutes take an active part in play.
Earlier this year while introducing this rule BCCI said, “The concept is to allow one substitute player per team to take a more active part in a match. This would add a new tactical /strategic dimension to the game. A number of team sports allow teams to make tactical substitutes i.e. football, rugby, basketball, baseball. The substitute is allowed to perform or participate like any other regular player.”
