BCCI introduced the new rule of “impact player” in the ongoing season of IPL which allows a team to include a substitute player in the middle of the match. The rule was successfully introduced in the recently concluded season of Syed Mushtaq Ali trophy which paved way for its successful transition to IPL. The rule is already used in games like Football, Basketball, Baseball to make cricket a tactical game.
What is impact player rule in IPL
The rule was successfully included in the Syed Mushtaq Ali trophy where team enjoyed the perks of replacing a player with a substitute to gain the tactical advantage in the game. The rule states that a team will have to name the five players who can be substituted and they only can be used as impact players other than the 11 players who take the ground.
When an impact player can be introduced ?
A team can bring in their impact player in place of another team member at the start of an innings, after the fall of a wicket or after the end of an over. Additionally, earlier a captain used to name a 12th man but now the rule has changed and a captain can name five more players as substitutes who can be used as an impact player.
When a captain opts for an impact player, the umpire are to make a cross signal with both hands over their heads. The impact player will replace one of the players from the team and the replaced player will no longer take part in the game not too as substitute fielder.
Who can be the impact player ?
Only Indian players can be used as an impact players and the limitation on playing foreign cricketers are still 4 per side. If a team has played only three overseas players then they can opt for an overseas impact player but if they are playing their quota of four overseas players then they can’t use any foreign player as an “impact player” option and can name only five Indians in the list of substitutes who can be used as impact players.
How the move can make cricket a tactical game
The rule will bring tactical changes to the game as the team batting first can play an extra batsman and can replace them with an impact player who can be a bowler to put pressure on the batting side. It can also benefit the bowling side who are defending a total and dew is not helping the cause of the spinners, they can replace them with a proper pacer for a chance of a comeback.
