Sachin Tendulkar calls for impact player rule to be scrapped in IPL

Sachin Tendulkar has proposed major IPL rule changes, including scrapping the impact player rule, introducing a bowling powerplay and allowing one bowler to bowl five overs. He believes these measures would help restore balance between bat and ball in T20 cricket

Mumbai: Batting legend Sachin Tendulkar wants the controversial impact player rule to be scrapped while also suggesting a couple of changes to restore the balance between bat and ball in the Indian Premier League.

Introduced in 2023, the impact player rule allows teams to substitute a player in the playing XI with one of the five listed substitutes at any point during the match.

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“I feel there are a few things which, on a personal note, I can say. I think the impact player rule needs to go away,” Tendulkar said at the ESPNcricinfo Awards.

“I feel when, in a T20 format, you just have to play 20 overs and then add one more batter to that line-up. When bowlers are already being challenged, I find that imbalance.”

With increasingly batting-friendly surfaces producing record scores in recent seasons, Tendulkar believes the rule has worsened an already uneven contest between bat and ball.

The regulation has also drawn criticism from several prominent players, including Shubman Gill and Rohit Sharma, who have argued that the rule takes skill out of the game and diminishes the value of all-rounders.

Tendulkar suggested modifying the powerplay structure by introducing a bowling powerplay alongside the existing batting powerplay.

“In the powerplay of six overs with field restrictions, only two fielders are allowed outside the ring. Let the first four overs be the batters’ powerplay with the same field restrictions.

“After that, the remaining two powerplay overs should be determined by the fielding captain as and when he wants to take them. Those two consecutive overs will also allow one extra fielder outside the ring at any stage of the game,” Tendulkar said.

“So the fielding side is able to control the game better.”

The batting great also proposed increasing the bowling quota of one player per team from four overs to five, allowing sides to utilise their premier bowler for a larger portion of the innings.

“One bowler should be allowed to bowl five overs. Because invariably the best bowler of the side is going to bowl that fifth over.

“Wouldn’t you want to see that best bowler bowl more? The top batters are batting for as many as 20 overs at times. Why shouldn’t the best bowler be bowling five overs?” he asked.