‘Influence Of All-rounders Has Reduced As…’ MS Dhoni On Impact Player Rule At The Toss

The 16th season of the Indian Premier League (IPL) commenced with the first match between the Gujarat Titans and Chennai Super Kings at the Narendra Modi Stadium located in Ahmedabad. The tournament has finally arrived in a home and away format which did not happen for three years due to Pandemic.The introduction of the “Impact Player” rule is expected to add another excitement to the tournament. According to this rule a designated player can be swapped in the middle of a match which could potentially have an impact on the game. The captain of Chennai Super Kings Mahendra Singh Dhoni has commented on this new addition and stated that it is a luxury to have such a rule in the tournament. He also mentioned that it has reduced the importance of an all-rounder in the game.”It’s a luxury to have (impact player) and it becomes slightly easy to use here because in domestic (Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy) it was at the 14th over. It becomes slightly easier to make the decision because you can use it at any time. Influence of allrounders has become slightly less because of the rule,” said Dhoni at the toss.Under the new “Impact Player” rule, both team captains are not required to announce their final playing XI during the toss. They can make changes to their teams based on their decision to bat or bowl first. In addition to naming the playing XI and the 12th man each team can also name five substitute players, one of whom can be picked as the “Impact Player” at any point during the game.