Former India batter Ajinkya Rahane has called for the removal of the Indian Premier League’s (IPL) Impact Player rule, saying that it is reducing opportunities for genuine all-rounders. He revealed that most IPL captains opposed the regulation before last year’s captains’ meeting.
Introduced in 2023, the rule allows teams to substitute a player during a match. While it has encouraged batting, several former players have raised concerns about its effect on the balance between bat and ball. There is also debate around India’s need to develop players who can contribute in both disciplines.
Speaking to Cricbuzz, Ajinkya Rahane said that most captains wanted the rule scrapped before last year’s IPL captains’ meeting. The former Kolkata Knight Riders skipper remains uncertain whether the rule will be removed before or after the next mega auction, which is scheduled for 2027.
“I remember last year, before the IPL captains’ meeting, most of the captains said they don’t want the impact player rule,” Ajinkya Rahane said.
“And I think the guidelines or the rules, they have it till 2027. So we don’t know if this year they will take it out or after this year (when) the big auction is coming up, in that they will take it out. But ideally, I feel there is no point or use in having an impact rule,” he added.
“All-rounders are going out of the game, especially in the IPL. And I am a firm believer that you’ve got to develop your all-rounders. From the Indian team’s point of view, all-rounders are really important. So the impact player rule should be taken out,” he said.
IPL Data Shows Decline in Bowling Opportunities for All-Rounders
Between 2018 and 2022, players batting in the top seven delivered an average of 8.3 overs per match across both teams. The figure fell to seven overs in 2023, 6.3 in 2024 and 5.4 in 2025 before dropping to 4.2 in IPL 2026, according to the analysis updated through the 56th match.
In IPL 2022, top-seven batters bowled 21 out of every 100 overs. That share fell to just 10 in the 2026 edition. The number of players in the top seven who averaged at least two overs per match also declined from 11 in IPL 2019 to four in 2025.
Despite his ability to bowl in the Powerplay, Washington Sundar delivered only nine overs across 17 matches in IPL 2026. Mumbai Indians all-rounder Naman Dhir has bowled just 8.4 overs in his IPL career. He also acknowledged that the rule had limited his bowling opportunities.
Hardik Pandya has previously explained the difficulty all-rounders face in this setup. “It becomes difficult if you are not completely a 50-50 allrounder to find your place,” he said. Axar Patel also said that team management now tends to choose a specialist batter or bowler instead of backing an all-rounder.
Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli Raise Concerns Over Bat-Ball Balance
The Impact Player rule has also drawn criticism for giving teams an additional batting option, allowing them to take greater risks and recover from difficult positions. Teams have sometimes recovered from 90/7 or 100/7 to post totals of 200, with the extra batter providing another opportunity to rebuild the innings.
The scoring rate increased from 8.54 runs per over in IPL 2022 to 9.88 in IPL 2026, while the number of 200-plus totals rose from 18 to 65. Pitch conditions and the increasingly aggressive approach of modern batters have also contributed to the trend.
Former Mumbai Indians captain Rohit Sharma previously questioned the rule on the Club Prairie Fire podcast, saying, “Cricket is played by 11 players, not 12 players.” He also highlighted how players such as Shivam Dube and Washington Sundar could lose opportunities to contribute with the ball.
Virat Kohli raised similar concerns during IPL 2024, stating that teams could still have a batter waiting at No. 8. He questioned whether the rule was tilting the contest towards batters and argued that cricket needs a better balance between bat and ball.
Also read: Shai Hope could join LSG or GT ahead of IPL 2027, says Aakash Chopra
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