MS Dhoni orders BCCI to scrap Impact Player rule in IPL

Chennai Super Kings (CSK) player MS Dhoni shared his take on the impact player rule amid the ongoing Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025. He said that it wasn't needed as the league was already high scoring and also the TRP of the tournament was high.

The IPL, for the last two years, has been following the impact player rule. It hasn't gone well with many players as they have expressed their disappointment, saying that it tilts the game completely in the favour of batters and there isn't any help for bowlers.

Senior players of the Indian cricket team have openly opposed the impact player rule

Senior players of the Indian cricket team in Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli, also have openly opposed the rule. They were of the opinion that it completely eliminates the role of all-rounders and, hence, it should be scrapped as it might not give Indian cricket all-rounders in the future.

After the last season, the rule was talked about a lot and it was expected that it won't stay this year. However, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) mentioned that the rule will stay there till the 2027 cycle, and the call will be taken only after that.

When it first came out, I said one thing that IPL is in such a good position, aur koi masala daalne ki zaroorat nahi hai - MS Dhoni

MS Dhoni opened up about the impact player rule, saying that when it came he said that there isn't a need to spice the league further as it is in a good position. He also addressed the talks about whether the impact player rule helps him or not. Replying to this, he said that it ‘does and doesn’t’ favour him. Speaking to JioHotstar, he said:

“When it first came out, I said one thing that IPL is in such a good position, aur koi masala daalne ki zaroorat nahi hai (there’s no need to spice it up further)," Dhoni said in the interview. “Games were already quite high-scoring, they were going well, the matches were quite competitive. We have seen it often in this format that matches end in five overs — you lose too many wickets, fail to make proper runs and the opposition wins easily."

“If you lose a few wickets early, more often than not you are out of the game. So, when this rule came, I felt it was not really needed at this point of time because TRP is up, the quality of cricket is good, good players were coming up but it was implemented. In a way, it helps me but it still doesn’t help me because I still do my keeping so I am not an impact player, I have to be involved in the game," said MS Dhoni

You have to adapt according to requirements - MS Dhoni about batting down the order

MS Dhoni also talked about the change in his batting style, saying that he needs to adapt according to requirements. He stressed that pitches have changed a lot, which has made games high-scoring. He added:

“You have to adapt according to requirements. The way cricket is played nowadays, it’s quite different. The way we were playing in 2008 and the way we played the last year’s IPL — it’s very different. We also have to acknowledge that wickets used to have a bit of turn and a bit of two-pacedness early on, now India’s wickets have gotten much better."

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