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There has been a debate going on for a long time regarding the ‘Impact Player’ rule in IPL. Now the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) can reconsider this rule. In May, BCCI Secretary Devjit Saikia had said that this rule would be reviewed after the IPL 2026 season, and the board has now started work on it.

Opinion sought from all 10 teams

According to a report, BCCI has sought their opinion from all the 10 IPL franchises on the impact player rule. Teams have time till Monday (31 August) to give their feedback.

According to the report of Cricbuzz, the board has also sought feedback on umpiring, practice sessions and other arrangements to the match. However, most of the attention is on the impact player rule. In recent seasons, due to this rule, more than 200 runs were scored in many matches, which has increased the concern about the role of bowlers.

Will the Impact Player rules change?

BCCI takes suggestions from the teams after every season, but this time special attention is being paid to the impact player rule. During the captains’ meeting last season, many players had objected to this rule.

BCCI said in its statement that it was decided in the IPL 2026 captains’ meeting that after the end of the tournament, issues to cricket operations will be discussed with all the teams.

Rohit and Virat have also raised questions

In May, Devjit Saikia had said that if franchisees raise concerns then the board can reconsider the rule. Veteran players like Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli have also criticized this rule. He believes that due to this the importance of the all-rounder is decreasing and the bowlers are suffering losses.

However, Saikia had earlier defended this rule, saying that fans like big scores and exciting matches, and bowlers have also taken wickets in many low-scoring matches.

What will happen next?

BCCI has asked the teams to discuss with its cricket operations department and give feedback by August 31. After this the board will decide whether any changes are needed before IPL 2027 or not. At present this rule is in force, but only the suggestions of the teams will decide its future.

What are the impact player rules?
BCCI implemented it in 2023. Under this, during the match, any team can replace one player from its playing-11 and field another player. In international cricket, players are replaced only in case of injury (like concussion), but there is no such condition in IPL.