Top Indian Batters Voice Concerns Over IPL’s ‘Impact Player’ Rule.
Two of India’s batting greats have criticized the IPL’s controversial substitution rule. Virat Kohli agreed with team captain Rohit Sharma’s assessment that the so-called ‘Impact Player’ changes disrupt the game.
While promoting his new film, Virat Kohli shared Rohit’s view that allowing a 12th man undermines cricket’s team ethos. The rule betrays the competitive spirit of 11 versus 11, he believes.
Rohit previously opined the adjustment risks harming the development of gifted all-rounders. In his podcast, the opening batsman noted the substitution gives IPL sides an advantage foreign to international cricket.
Kohli echoed this sentiment, feeling many see the adjustment as a disturbing balance. The former skipper stated that entertainment should never come at the cost of breaking with tradition.
Introduced last season, the substitution permits swapping a starter for an extra batter or bowler based on conditions. It has certainly fueled run-scoring heroics in the tournament this year.
Yet for the men who steered India’s white-ball revolution, short-term fireworks may conflict with nurturing talent equipped to flourish globally. Their unease questions whether lucrative league rules should diverge from the worldwide sporting model.
With India’s two modern greats raising a unified objection, debate continues around whether such an impactful change benefits all stakeholders in the long run. As ever, Kohli and Rohit see the larger cricketing picture beyond runs and wickets alone.
