'Impact player rule in IPL 2023 will negate role of all-rounders'

NEW DELHI: Delhi Capitals head coach Ricky Ponting believes the introduction of the impact player rule during the upcoming season of the Indian Premier League (IPL) will reduce the roles of all-rounders and bits-and-pieces players in the tournament.

"It also depends on whether you bat or bowl first and the situation in every game. At the toss, whether you bowl first, you will sub in a batter and if you bat first, you will get rid of a batter and get in a bowler, or if you lose a batter early, you will get in a batter on top of it. It almost negates the role of all-rounders, you don't need them as you either name a batting or bowling heavy team, and then take one in, another one out," said Ponting.

"Unless they are absolute world class and are getting picked primarily as a batsman or bowler, and not as a bits-and-pieces player, then I don't see many teams this year use the guy that might bat at seven and maybe bowl an over or two as you don't need those guys anymore now," he added.

As per the impact player rules for IPL 2023, teams need to identify five substitutes who are Indian players apart from the playing eleven during toss time. Out of the substitutes named, only one player can be used as an Impact Player.

Both teams are allowed to use one impact player per match, a move which is not compulsory. It is left up to the teams whether they want to use the impact player in a match or not.

"It's actually quite confusing, to be honest. To just work through the whole range of different ways that we can use some of these players as far as the impact rule is concerned, we've got a bit of work to do in the next couple of days.

With one of those keepers (as Rishabh Pant's replacement) to be contracted being an Indian player, we will see where we can fit them the best. With the impact player in, one has to see how we use those guys. Even with the impact player rule that's coming into the IPL this year, there's lots of ways that you can think about using different players and wicket keepers and things," said Ponting during an event organised by the Delhi Capitals to announce their long-term partnership multinational logistics company DP World, here on Friday.

Under the partnership with Delhi Capitals, DP World is now the Global Logistics Partner of the franchise, whose best result in the IPL was runners-up finish in the 2020 season. The company's branding will be featured prominently on the back of Delhi Capitals official match jerseys as well as training gear.

Notably, as per the rules, a team can bring an impact player before the start of the innings or after completion of an over. In case of a batter, the change can be done at the fall of the wicket or the batter retiring at any time during the over.

Moreover, the bowling side can also bring in an Impact Player during the fall of a wicket, but he will not be permitted to bowl the remaining balls in the over if the wicket has fallen mid-over. The impact player rule had been previously used in the Big Bash League (BBL).

"Each franchise will probably have a different idea of how they want to use the Impact Player rule, because of the players you have in your squad and we found out about impact player post auction as well. Then, you have to get to work with what you have in your group and if we had known about it before, then we would have known it in a slightly different way," said Australian.

"But it is what it is and I won't reveal much on what we will do. I have my own ideas and views, but we haven't been together as a group yet. So, we, the coaches and David (Warner, captain) will be speaking on it this afternoon. But teams will use it in different ways due to the players they have in their group," he concluded.