In a significant development for the Indian Premier League (IPL), Chennai Super Kings’ pacer Tushar Deshpande became the first ‘Impact Player’ in the history of the tournament.
The IPL 2023 opener between Chennai Super Kings and Gujarat Titans at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad witnessed the first instance of the new rule in action.
Introduced this season, the ‘Impact Player’ rule allows teams to substitute one player at any point in the game, who can then have a significant impact on the match’s outcome. Tushar Deshpande became the first beneficiary of this new rule, replacing middle-order batter Ambati Rayudu during the opening match against Gujarat Titans.
Tushar Deshpande becomes the first-ever Impact Player in IPL history
During the IPL 2023 opener between Chennai Super Kings (CSK) and Gujarat Titans (GT), Tushar Deshpande created history by becoming the first-ever ‘Impact Player’ in the history of IPL. Deshpande replaced Ambati Rayudu for CSK at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on Friday.
The five substitute players named for the side ahead of the match were – Tushar Deshpande, Subhranshu Senapati, Shaik Rasheed, Ajinkya Rahane, and Nishant Sindhu. On the other hand, GT named B Sai Sudharsan, Jayant Yadav, Mohit Sharma, Abhinav Manohar, and KS Bharat as their substitutes.
Deshpande’s performance in IPL opener against Gujarat Titans
Having scored 178/7 in 20 overs, thanks to a brilliant 50-ball 92 by opener Ruturaj Gaikwad, CSK decided to bring in Tushar Deshpande as the Impact Player to bolster their bowling attack. However, Deshpande’s first two overs went for 29 runs, and his introduction didn’t have an immediate impact on the game.
Gujarat Titans’ B. Sai Sudharsan joined him as the second player to be picked as Impact Player. Sudharsan came in as a substitute for New Zealand batter Kane Williamson, who had suffered an injury while fielding in the first innings.
In the end, GT won the match, but the highlight of the game was undoubtedly Tushar Deshpande becoming the first-ever ‘Impact Player’ in IPL history. The Impact Player rule has added a new dimension to the game, and it will be interesting to see how it affects the strategies of teams in the future matches of IPL 2023.
