The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) secretary Devajit Saikia denied the claims that IPL teams have requested a rethink on the Impact Player rule on Saturday (May 2). However, he added that the board will still review it after the end of the IPL 2026 season.
The Impact Player rule — allowing teams to substitute one player at a certain stage in the match — was introduced in 2022. It effectively made IPL a 12 vs 12 match. As batting depth increased, batters became braver and more aggressive. With pitches getting flatter, it led to a huge boost to scoring rates in the IPL, with average team scores going from around 160 pre-2022 to circa 185.
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More importantly, it’s a rare BCCI rule
that has received open and public criticism from a host of cricketers. Indian batters, bowlers, and all-rounders alike have argued that the rule has made it worse.
“This has been going on for the last two years. We are reviewing it after this tournament is over, and in the middle of the tournament, we cannot take any call,” Saikia said in Mumbai, as quoted by PTI. “There is no official request that we should revisit this particular impact player proposition. It is in the media (that) I sometimes read it. But if it comes from the teams, then we’ll have to take a call. But till now, no such situation has arisen.”
The secretary also pushed back against overall criticism of IPL becoming too high-scoring, with 200-plus chases, which were a rarity at one point, not becoming a supposedly boring norm.
“Some low scoring matches are also there,” he said. All the fans are enjoying the matches. The bowlers are getting good wickets (as well). Some teams are scoring very low scores too if you look at the overall scorecards and some teams are chasing 260 also. Everything is happening… it is a full bouquet in one package.”
