Former India captain Sourav Ganguly stated on Tuesday that the IPL’s contentious Impact Player rule is here to stay, despite all-rounders’ obvious contempt for it.
A day after Delhi Capitals captain and India’s T20 vice-captain Axar Patel expressed his disapproval of the rule, saying it hinders the development of all-rounders like him, Ganguly stated that the rule is unlikely to be repealed despite the many viewpoints.
“Impact player rule I think it’s going to stay, and when I was the president of BCCI it had already come in. So, this is here to stay, someone will like it someone will not,” PTI quoted Ganguly as saying.
Teams may replace any player in the starting lineup with one of the five specified substitutes at any time during the game according to the Impact Player rule.
Ganguly claimed that Test cricket is the “strongest format of the game” and that the shortest format is the least difficult, despite the T20 boom. Given its significance in Test-playing countries like India, England, Australia, and South Africa, Ganguly attested to the long-term viability of Test cricket.
“I think Test cricket is the real format because one has to bowl 20-25 overs in one day, bowling four overs in a T20 match is a lot easy. T20 cricket is least challenging in terms of quality. But T20 cricket is the format which brings in people, it’s just for three hours in the evening full of sixes and fours,” Ganguly said.
“But in countries like India, England, Australia and South Africa Test cricket will always be special and when you see young players want to play Test cricket, it proves Test cricket is the strongest format of the game.”
Returning to the IPL, Ganguly stated that the figures are astounding when informed about a group formed by US-based businessman Kal Somani plans to purchase the Rajasthan Royals for USD 1.63 billion.
“IPL will only go to greater heights. This is phenomenal and it also goes to show the game is expanding as the game is going to America, onto that part of the world is fantastic. It’s mind-blowing numbers but there is lots more in store for Indian cricket and I am looking forward to it,” Ganguly said.
The former batter stated that although there are many players to watch out in the upcoming IPL, Auqib Nabi, a pacer from Jammu and Kashmir who was purchased by the Delhi Capitals for Rs 8.4 crore, will be the main attraction following his Ranji Trophy exploits.
“There are lot of players, look at someone like (Vaibhav) Suryavanshi, Abhishek Sharma, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Ayush Mhatre, Suryakumar (Yadav). Aquib Nabi, I am looking forward to see Aquib Nabi. They are all young, Washington Sundar is young, Tilak Verma is young. They are all young and they are peaking and that’s what IPL stands for,” Ganguly said.
Ganguly, who led the Pretoria Capitals to second place in this year’s SA20 League in South Africa, reaffirmed his openness to future coaching chances.
“The most important thing for me is cricket. When I used to play cricket, I used to bat, bowl and also captained the national team. But whatever I am doing now is in different phases. I just want get involved with cricket, I also coached Pretoria Capitals in the South Africa League where we reached the final and I have an interest in that also (coaching),” he said.
“I have been BCCI and CAB (Cricket Association of Bengal) president as well and became CAB president again. I have achieved everything in life and whatever opportunities I will get I will explore them.”
