"Don't Think There Should Be An Impact Player": Shubman Gill's Blunt Take On IPL Rule
Gujarat Titans skipper Shubman Gill on Wednesday became the latest Indian cricketer to criticise the Impact Player rule in the IPL.
Gujarat Titans skipper Shubman Gill on Wednesday became the latest Indian cricketer to criticise the Impact Player rule in the IPL, saying "it takes the skill out of the game". The other Indian players who have expressed their concerns over the rule include Rohit Sharma, Hardik Pandya and more recently Delhi Capitals' skipper Axar Patel. In the IPL captains meeting in Mumbai on Wednesday, majority of the leaders including Gill had sought a review of the rule that BCCI introduced in 2023 before extending it at least until 2027.
A day later Gill did not mince his words when asked about his thoughts on the Impact Player rule, which allows teams to play an extra batter or bowler in any stage of the game.
"Personally for me, I don't think there should be an impact player. I think cricket in general is an 11 players' game and on wickets where we play on the grounds that we play, adding an extra batsman is I think it takes the skill out of the game," said Gill, who leads India in Tests and ODIs.
"There's a certain skill in the game that you need to have. When you have a certain amount of batters and if a couple of your batters get out, there's an amount of skill that you need to have to still get the scoreboard moving and get your team to a good score.
"With that one extra player, it's making the game more one-dimensional and it's taking a little bit of the skill out of the game. Chasing 180 on a challenging wicket or 160 on a challenging wicket is for me, it's personally way more exciting than chasing 220 on a flat wicket," he added.
The BCCI can only take the call on the strategic rule after IPL 2027 and till then Gill and others who don't like the concept will have to wait. "It's gonna be there till 2027. It's something that we also spoke about in the captain's meeting yesterday. I understand it makes the game a bit more entertaining, but let's see. It's there. It's up to them what the BCCI is going to do, they're gonna take their decision, but personally I don't like it," added Gill.
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