Impact Player in IPL: Aye or Nay?

Cricket season is in full swing, and IPL is breaking records this year with the highest T20 score being breached 3 times already. The surprising fact is that it is only halfway into the IPL and the mammoth T20 scores are becoming a common sight in IPL this year. This could be attributed to aggressive batting and improved skillset, but there is one huge difference in IPL as opposed to other leagues and international T20 cricket. The presence of an Impact Player has altered the way IPL teams strategize and has led to a team playing with 12 players instead of 11. An added player is always an advantage in a team sport.

In an impact player scenario, each team is allowed to substitute a player once to get an impact player to take part in the game. In this manner, a team can strengthen their batting by bringing in an impact player while chasing and vice versa. The verdict on this step change in league cricket is still not out, but this season’s high scores indicate that impact player may be a long-term nay for the benefit of cricket. Impact player impacts the team, eases the strategic direction and inhibits national glory in a similar format of the game.

The impact player situation is a big Nay and let us see why this is bringing entertainment but devaluing the game of cricket.

1. Strategy going for a toss: With the impact player rule, the backroom staff of a T20 team has less strategy to execute as they can execute back up plans even after naming a team by sending a power hitter or a wicket taker as an impact player to have a quick impact on the game. This may be entertaining the audience, but the strategic part in the game of cricket is not being extended to the level it was expected.

2. National team undermined: ICC is not going to bring this rule any time soon as its experiment with substitutes failed miserably back in 2004/2005. This means that IPL may not always be a good barometer for selecting national squads for international T20 tournaments. Someone playing 20 overs will expend more intensity than someone coming for just 4 -8 overs.

3. Nullify all-rounders: All rounders are a rarity in cricket and their presence always boosted the team. Impact player rule eliminates the need for an allrounder as a bowler can bowl 4 overs and then be replaced by a specialist batsman. This is not good for the growth of the game and undermines the special talent that all rounders possess. We may never see a Jacques Kallis if this rule persists in the longer run.

Impact player is something which cannot stay for long because of the potential downfalls it can bring upon the game of cricket. Entertaining the crowd is one thing, but respecting the game is another matter. Tweaking in rules of powerplay or ball changes are acceptable but bringing forth rules which change the balance of a side is not doing justice to the game of cricket.