IPL2023: Impact Player concept likely to be relevant only to Indian players
The Impact Player notion, introduced for the first time in this year’s Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, allows clubs to make one tactical change every game.
The Impact Player model, which will be introduced in the next Indian Premier League (IPL) 17, may only apply to Indian players. Although the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has yet to publish the regulations on how it would function, BCCI management who are in talks with franchises have stated that only Indian players will be allowed to come in as the 12th player or as an active substitution during a match.
According to Cricbuzz, the franchises have emphasized that a team cannot introduce an overseas player in place of another overseas player, nor can a team have a foreign player in place of an Indian.
The rule is intended to ensure that the primary and binding IPL rule of only four international players participating in a game is not compromised. It is unclear whether a foreign player will be allowed to enter if a team enters a match with only three abroad players in the starting XI.
The BCCI stated in a recent email to the clubs, “…It should also be noted that beginning with the IPL 2023 season, a tactical/strategic idea will be added to give a new dimension to IPL, with one substitute player each side being able to take a more active role in an IPL match. The corresponding regulations will be issued shortly.”
The Impact Player idea was first adopted in this year’s Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy (SMAT), and the BCCI is pleased with the results. The BCCI was inspired by football and a few other sports in which substitutes play an active role.
“The concept is to allow one substitute player per team to take a more active part in a match. This would add a new tactical /strategic dimension to the game. A number of team sports allow teams to make tactical substitutes i.e. football, rugby, basketball, baseball. The substitute is allowed to perform or participate like any other regular player,” the BCCI had said while introducing the rule in the SMAT earlier this year.
