Impact Player rule gives value for strategy – Ravichandran Ashwin

Ravichandran Ashwin has shared his thoughts on the Impact Player Rule, which has drawn debate from various corners of the globe because of its ambiguous stature. The Indian off-spinner made it very clear that this rule can actually bring value for strategy and should continue in Indian cricket.

Talking on Kris Srikkanth’s YouTube show, Cheeky Cheeka, Ashwin said, “Why I think the Impact Player rule is not so bad is because it gives a little more value for strategy. The other side of that argument is that it doesn't encourage all-rounders. But no one is stopping them.”

He further added, “In this generation, they don't do it [batters bowling and vice-versa]. It's not like they're discouraged because of the Impact Player rule. Look at Venkatesh Iyer, he's currently rocking for Lancashire. There's an opportunity for innovation and it makes the game fairer."

Citing an example from Qualifier 2 of IPL 2024, Ashwin said, “Sunrisers [Hyderabad] brought in Shahbaz Ahmed as an Impact Player [vs Rajasthan Royals, after hitting 175 for 9 batting first]; he went on to become a match-winner [with 3 for 23].”

He continued, “When dew has the potential to make games one-sided, teams bowling second get an extra option as a counter. If you're batting second, you can tactically make a substitution by offloading the extra bowler for a batter.”

Ashwin concluded by saying, “Games are tighter, an extra player is getting to play. Barring Kolkata or Mumbai, where scores skyrocketed, they haven't been a drastic change elsewhere. Like at Punjab Kings' home venue [Mullanpur], they were all 160-170 games."