No more Impact Player rule and Mega Auctions in IPL? Jay Shah finally breaks silence on the matter

BCCI secretary Jay Shah finally spoke about the controversial Impact Player rule that has been used in the Indian Premier League (IPL) for the last two seasons. The rule has received plenty of flak from star international players like Rohit Sharma and Mohammed Siraj.

Jay Shah also shared his views on the retention of players for the IPL season and mentioned that the views of the franchises are divided on this aspect.

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Jay Shah finally breaks the silence on the Impact Player rule

During an interview with TOI, Jay Shah was asked about the Impact Player rule. Shah mentioned both the advantages and disadvantages of the rule. He accepted that the rule might not be great for the growth of budding all-rounders but also added that it gives a talented Indian player to showcase his talent by being an extra player in the team.

"We had a long chat with the franchise owners in the recent meeting we had. The impact player rule has its pros and cons. The negative is that it makes the allrounder's role redundant. The positive is it creates a spot for an Indian player to showcase his talent," Jay Shah said.

"We should also think about the broadcaster, who is paying a lot of money. But as an administrator for me, the game is bigger. We will decide in a few days," he noted that the broadcasters' point of view will be important as well.

Pros and Cons of Impact Player Rule

The role of allrounders is reduced with the Impact Players rule as the teams have an option to field an extra player who can bat or bowl. As a result, the teams have been hesitant in giving opportunities to the young, inexperienced allrounders to showcase their talents.

On the other hand, teams like Punjab Kings have benefitted from this rule. This season, Punjab played Ashutosh Sharma as the Impact Player and he produced a no. of impressive performances for them. Ashutosh turned out to be a find of the season for Kings along with Shashank Singh.

Jay Shah on the no. of retentions in IPL

Jay Shah was also asked about the no. of retentions allowed for an IPL team and the need for mega-auctions. While some franchises are in favor of the players being retained, other franchises are against the rule. Some of the franchises even asked for the mega-auctions to be scrapped as it takes a lot of time and effort to build a team.

"We have heard everyone out. Now, the decision rests on us. We must take the majority view on it. But even the minority view is important. The teams that are settled do not want a mega auction. Those franchises that have an unsettled team, want a mega auction," Shah revealed the franchises' point of view.

"As a cricket fan, I feel consistency is important, but shuffling things up makes it interesting and helps in growing the game," the BCCI secretary added.

Recently, there was a meeting between the BCCI officials and the franchise owners at the BCCI's headquarters in Mumbai. A lot of discussions took place in the meeting regarding the Impact player rule and the retentions. All the suggestions have been passed on to the IPL governing council which will take the final decision.