The Impact Player Rule will be used in the Indian Premier League (IPL), next season. The IPL Governing Council has so far decided to maintain the fundamentals of the rule at the level of the recently finished Syed Mushtaq Ali T20 Trophy in October-November.
The Impact Player, a substitute who can bat and bowl, will be introduced in IPL 2023. However, the league has mandated that the Impact Player can only be an Indian if there are four foreign players in a team’s playing 11.
According to the “Impact Player Rule,” a team may name up to four of these players in its squad of 15 before the game, and they may be replaced at any point before the 14th over of an innings. However, if the starting XI includes all four players from overseas, that player must be an Indian. An overseas player serves as a “Impact Substitute” only if the playing XI has three foreign players.
What is an Impact Player Rule?
A cricket team is permitted to make a strategic substitution in the middle of each game under the Impact Player rule.
Teams will name four substitutes in addition to their starting XI at the coin toss, and one of those four will be used during the game. The player will be permitted to bat and bowl his full allotted number of overs and can replace any starting XI player at any time up until the end of the 14th over of either inning.
The player can bat and bowl his entire allotment of four overs in a continuous innings following the introduction of an Impact Player in a game. When a player is forced to withdraw due to injury, Impact Player can only be used after the current over and is still qualified to bat. Only 11 players are permitted to bat at any time.
How many Impact Players will be used in a game?
One Impact Player can be used by both teams.
Impact Player Rule applicable during rain-shortened or delayed match?
When the game is reduced to fewer than 10 over per side, the Impact Player rule is not applicable. Impact players are not necessary to be used, but the manager, head coach, or captain must notify the on-field umpire before using one of them.
With two exceptions: if a batting team sends in the Impact Player at the fall of a wicket or if the fielding team substitutes the Impact Player for an injured fielder in the middle of an over, the Impact Player can only be introduced at the end of an over and not during it.
The player who was replaced cannot play again, not even as a replacement fielder. A bowler who has bowled two beamers in an over and is suspended can be replaced by the Impact Player, but that player is not permitted to bowl.
