In the realm of cricket, every player has their quality, and every move counts for each player. The contribution of each player creates a great impact and sudden surprising changes to the game. Each player contributes differently in every match and can sway the course of the match. There is a rule called the Impact Player Rule that changes the whole dynamics of the game and works as a game-changer. It has transformed the strategies of the game and helped in evaluating the player’s value and motivation. Impact Player Rule in IPL (Indian Premier League) has sparked IPL matches and made them more interesting for the viewers.
Let’s learn in-depth about who are Impact players in IPL and what is Impact Player Rule in IPL.
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Understanding Impact Player Rule
In an IPL match, a total of 11 players play on the ground, and after the toss, there are 5 players as substitutes that are announced by the captain, and those five substitutes can be replaced by those eleven players during the match. The 5 players that are introduced work as substitute players and if a player is injured they can replace them to field in their position. Usually, a substituted player can only field and not bowl or bat as a player. The impact player rule in IPL changes this and an impact player once substituted in an inning can bat or bowl as a player. The impact player in IPL can only be substituted once in the game. Let’s understand this with an example. Suppose your team is batting in the first inning so you make a lineup of 6 good batters and 4 good bowlers. During the first inning, you take an extra batter which can help the team in batting. Now in the second inning when your team is supposed to bowl you bring an impact player in the form of a bowler who substitutes your extra batter. This helps the team to have an extra bowler during the second inning and it helps them in their bowling.
When Can an Impact Player Play?
During the first and second innings of the match or you can say at the end of an over or after the fall of the wicket and start of the inning, the player can be brought on during those stoppages. When a captain decides to send an Impact Player on the field, the umpire has to give a sign by making a cross above their head with both his hands. When an Impact player is substituted with another player to play on the field, that Impact player cannot play again and his role is finished then and there.
Who Can Be the Impact Player?
In the impact player rule in IPL, a team is allowed to select 5 players as a substitute and the impact player can be one of them. If a team has announced 4 overseas players in their starting 11 which is the limit the impact player has to be one of the Indian players and another overseas player would not be allowed in the team. If a team has 3 overseas players in the starting 11 then they are allowed to have an overseas player as an impact player.
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Implementation of Impact Player Rule in IPL
The new Impact Player Rule was first implemented in the IPL season 2023 which was the 16th season. But did you know that the impact player rule had already been implemented in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, following its adoption by the Australian Big Bash League.
How Many Impact Players Can Be Used in the IPL?
According to the impact player rule, a team is allowed to have a bench of 5 different players from which only one impact player can be chosen. The choice of impact player is very crucial as the impact player rule permits substitution of the player depending on the match situations and playing conditions. The impact player is then chosen which can turn the match in the team’s favor. There can only be 1 impact player in a match and the player who is substituted with the impact player cannot play further in the match.
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Rules of the Impact Player in IPL
The impact player in IPL can only be substituted once in the match. If an impact player is substituted in the form of a bowler, the player can bowl all four of its overs as per the quota and if the impact player is in the form of a batter then they can bat accordingly.
IPL has become more than a sport and it is a whole universe of entertainment and fierce competition. The teams compete with each other for glory and fame which makes the competition very hard. Each different match has different unpredictabilities and every match leads to a different conclusion.
In such matches the performance of every single player is crucial. After the introduction of the impact player rule this competition has only increased as now it’s not only eleven versus eleven players but now twelve versus twelve players. May it be using an extra bowler or having a powerful six-hitting player during the batting, the impact player rule has opened new opportunities and a new way in which we see or play the game.
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These impact players turn out to be the most crucial element in the team determining their win in the game. Every player has different qualities and not every player can be brought up in the team but with the impact player rule a player of certain qualities can be chosen during the game to make an impact and perform according to the match’s situation and performance conditions.
In conclusion, an impact player is not a mere substitute but an important aspect of the game that can turn the match in their team’s favor. Using and choosing the impact player is a matter of skill that may make or break the game. But once the teams are used to this rule and master they can surely use it as an advantage and lead themselves to victory and glory.
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FAQ’s About Impact Player Rule in IPL
In the Impact Player Rule in IPL the teams are allowed to substitute one player in between the matches with the designated ‘Impact Player’.
No, an Impact player cannot be changed once nominated.
A bench of 5 players is elected as an ‘Impact Player’, out of which only 1 is chosen to be substituted and play on the field.
No such restriction is there. It depends on the team’s requirements and strategies for the selection of players.
In this case of injury, the team has to select between the nominated players only as they can’t nominate the new Impact Player.
