Captain of Delhi Capitals a few days ago Akshar Patel Expressed his dislike for the Impact Player rule. Indian star batsman Shubman Gill The conversation also included that having an extra batsman “takes away the skill of the game.”
Impact Player Rules, introduced in Indian Premier League In 2023, teams are allowed to substitute one player from their starting XI with one of five named substitutes, who can then bat or bowl solely. This tactical move acts as a “12th man”, enabling teams to substitute a specialist batsman for a bowler depending on match conditions, such as batting or fielding conditions, changes in pace, or replacing injured or underperforming players.
Shubman Gill’s thoughts on the Impact Player rule
Gujarat Titans captain Shubman Gill is not in favor of the impact player rule. “Personally, I don’t think there should be any impact players,” he said during a press conference Thursday.
Key aspects of the Impact Player rule:
Usage Scenario: The team batting at number two can bring in an extra batsman to strengthen the run chase. Alternatively, if a team loses early wickets, they may deploy a specialist batsman in place of a fielder.
Time: Substitution can occur before the match, at the fall of a wicket or during a break in the innings.
conditions: Only four foreign players can be on the field at once; If four are already playing, the impact player must be an Indian.
Effect: This rule has led to higher scores, increased entertainment value and transformed T20 cricket into a 12-player competition. After being implemented in IPL, this rule was also used in Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy In 2022. However, it was later dropped from the domestic competition starting in the 2024 season. Despite the ongoing debate about its effect in favor of the batsmen, the BCCI decided to retain it in the IPL.
Shubman Gill: “It’s completely one-dimensional”
There is no doubt that this rule has helped teams consolidate their batting line-ups, making it harder for bowlers to predict who will come in next and when. However, Gill believes that this has made the game more one-dimensional.
“Cricket, in general, is a game of 11 players. Adding an extra batsman takes away skill. With that one extra player, the game becomes more one-dimensional. Chasing 180 or 160 on a challenging wicket is more exciting than chasing 220 on a flat track.”
Shubman Gill talks about his winning strategy
Shubman Gill, who was recently awarded the prestigious honor Polly Umrigar Award Best International Cricketer (Men) for 2024-25, excited for the upcoming season. He emphasized that he wanted his team to be known for winning not just in favorable circumstances, but in all circumstances.
“At the end of the day you have to score more runs than the opposition team. Be it by four runs or 150-200 runs, the aim is to win. We are not chasing the glory of scoring 300-350 runs in a single match. Gill said, we want to score big runs continuously and achieve the target equal to that wicket.
“We want to win matches in different conditions. We don’t want to be a team that only performs on good wickets,” he said.
look towards Shubman GillLooking at his form over the last few years, it is quite interesting to see what kind of plans other teams will come up with, as he has been in great form over the last four to five IPL seasons, often single-handedly taking his team to the playoffs. Gill has been one of the most consistent batsmen in this decade of the tournament, scoring 440, 478, 483, 890, 426 and 650 since the 2020 edition.
Gujarat Titans will play its first match of the season against punjab kings On March 31 at PCA Stadium, Punjab.
Also read: No Shubman Gill! These 3 players can bring GT the glory of IPL 2026