The widely-discussed Impact Player rule has been removed from the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy from the upcoming season. The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) had introduced this rule a couple of years ago on a trial basis which then led to its introduction in the Indian Premier League (IPL) in the 2023 edition.
The decision to discard it in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy was communicated to the state associations on Monday (14th October) evening. In what was a pretty short communication, the BCCI added, “Kindly note that the BCCI has decided to do away with the provision of ‘Impact Player’ for the ongoing season.”
The removal of the Impact Player rule was largely expected in domestic cricket but it contradicts BCCI’s stance on it as far as the IPL is concerned. The Indian cricket board recently informed the franchises and announced that the Impact Player rule will continue in the 2025 edition of the IPL as well.
This is a rule that has not really gone down well with the current players and coaches who have been quite vocal against it. They’ve often said it hampers the growth of all-rounders and their impact. In fact, even the IPL owners were reportedly unhappy with the Impact Player rule and wanted its ouster from the future seasons.
However, the broadcasters have been advocating for it. The Impact Player rule has seen teams posting high totals and big scores being chased down with boundaries flowing left, right and centre. Just for a stat, 200 was crossed as many as 41 times in the 2024 season of the IPL. Hence, the BCCI has persisted with the rule for the cash-rich T20 league.
Two-bouncer rule to continue
With the Impact Player rule, the BCCI had introduced a two-bouncer rule ahead of the IPL 2024. It was first tried in the 2023-24 season of the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy. And that is going to continue in the upcoming edition of the Indian domestic T20 tournament.
The clause in the playing conditions says, ‘41.6.2 A bowler shall be limited to two fast short-pitched deliveries per over.’ This is in contrast to ICC’s rule which allows just one bouncer per over.
The Indian domestic season is underway with the red-ball format. The Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy will start on the 23rd of November and will conclude on the 15th of December.
