BCCI secretary Devajit Saikia said that the much-debated Impact Player Rule in the Indian Premier League would be reviewed after the conclusion of the 2026 season. He also stated that there have discussions happening around the issue for the last two years.
The Impact Player rule was introduced by the BCCI in 2023 to make the IPL more exciting. It allows teams to replace one player with another during a match, depending on the situation. This gives teams the flexibility to strengthen either their batting or bowling based on how the game is unfolding.
In most cases, teams use the rule to play with extra batters and later bring in a specialist bowler. With batting-friendly pitches already common in the IPL, this has made it even easier for teams to post and chase huge scores, making the contest increasingly one-sided in favour of batters.
Since the rule came in, scores of 250 or more have become more common. Another major concern is its impact on all-rounders. Because teams can simply bring in a specialist batter or bowler when needed, the value of all-rounders has reduced.
Critics also believe the rule could hurt Indian cricket in the long run, as international matches do not have the Impact Player rule.
However, Saikia said there has been no complaint from any of the IPL teams so far regarding the Impact Player rule.
“Some low-scoring matches are also there. All the fans are enjoying the matches. The bowlers are getting good wickets as well. Some teams are scoring very low totals too if you look at the overall scorecards, and some teams are chasing 260 also,” he said.
“Everything is happening it is a full bouquet in one package,” Saikia added.
Saikia said discussion has been going on for the last two years and it will be reviewed after the conclusion of this season’s IPL on May 31.
“This discussion on the rule has been going on for the last two years. We will review it after this tournament is over, and in the middle of the tournament, we cannot take any call,” Saikia said.
“There is no official request that we should revisit this particular Impact Player proposition. It is in the media that I sometimes read it. But if it comes from the teams, then we’ll have to take a call. But till now, no such situation has arisen,” he added.
