‘More Strategic, More Fair’: Ashwin Weighs in on the Impact Player Rule

Veteran Indian off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin believes that the “Impact Player” regulation of the IPL has improved fairness in the game and increased “value for strategy” in the competition.

Prominent Indian athletes like Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli have criticized the rule, arguing that it throws off the balance between bat and ball and stunts the growth of the country’s all-rounders.

But according to Ashwin, the 2023 rule, which permits any IPL club to replace a player—a batter or a bowler—during their individual innings in accordance with the needs of the game, makes the competition more equitable.

“Why I think the Impact Player rule is not so bad is because it gives a little more value for strategy,” ‘ESPNCricinfo’ quoted Ashwin as saying on former India captain Krishnamachari Srikkanth’s YouTube show, which is in Tamil.

“The other side of that argument is it doesn’t encourage all-rounders. But no one is stopping them. In this generation, they don’t do it (batters bowling and vice-versa).

“It’s not as if the Impact Player rule discourages them. Venkatesh Iyer is a great representation of Lancashire right now. Innovation is possible, and the game is made more equitable,” Ashwin continued.

The 37-year-old used the Qualifier 2 encounter between Sunrisers Hyderabad and Rajasthan Royals this year, where the latter team substituted spinner Shahbaz Ahmed for opener Travis Head, to support his position.

After taking three wickets, including Ashwin’s, Ahmed went on to win the game.

“Sunrisers brought in Shahbaz Ahmed as an Impact Player (after hitting 175 for 9 batting first). He went on to become a match-winner.

According to Ashwin, the regulation can be quite helpful in keeping matches balanced when there is dew.

Bowling second teams receive an additional choice as a counter when dew has the potential to render games unbalanced. “You can strategically replace a bowler for a batter if you’re batting second,” the man explained.

“Games are more competitive, and more players are participating. Other than in Kolkata and Mumbai, where scores have soared, there hasn’t been a significant shift. Similar to the games at Punjab Kings’ home field of Mullanpur, they were all 160–170.”

However, according to Ashwin, the rule has aided a number of players in advancing in their careers and even securing berths in the national squad.

“Shahbaz Ahmed, Dhruv Jurel, and Shivam Dube, in particular… Had it not been for the Impact Player rule, he might never have had the opportunity. Thus, a large number of participants have emerged. It’s not terrible, but I’m not suggesting that’s the only path for gamers to choose,” he remarked.

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