Sourav Ganguly demands massive change in 'Impact Player' rule ahead of IPL 2025
Published - 01 Jun 2024, 05:34 PM
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Delhi Capitals (DC) director of cricket and former India captain Sourav Ganguly has backed continuing the "Impact Player" rule in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025. However, Sourav Ganguly stated that the IPL should be played on bigger grounds to make cricket more interesting in next year's T20 tournament.
The impact player has garnered attention in the recently concluded T20 tournament. The impact player rule allowed teams to adopt a more aggressive batting approach as they frequently surpassed 200 runs in the marquee tournament. The teams crossed the 250-run mark eight times in the IPL 2024 season.
Just Want The Grounds To Be A Bit Bigger - Sourav Ganguly
Sourav Ganguly shared his views on the impact player rule and stated that the teams should reveal the impact player before the toss for strategic planning.
"I like the impact player rule. My only thing with IPL is that I just want the grounds to be a bit bigger. The fences should go a little behind," Ganguly told the media on the sidelines of the International Procurement and Supply Chain Conference organized by the Blue Ocean Corporation in Mumbai.
"It is a great tournament. The only thing you can do with the impact player is decide before the toss, so it's a bit of skill there. So, have the impact player revealed before because that will require a lot of skill and game plan. But, I am all for the impact player," he added.
The impact player rule was introduced in last year's T20 tournament. The rule allows teams to select a 12th player from five substitute players named at the toss. The player can substitute any other player during the match. The substitute player can be utilized as either a bowler or a batter in the match.
Many players and coaches have expressed concerns about the impact player rule. Mumbai Indians (MI) batter Rohit Sharma criticized the rule, stating that players like Washington Sundar and Shivam Dube refrained from bowling due to the rule. The teams opted for an extra bowler in their playing XI.
Prithvi Shaw Is A Young Kid - Sourav Ganguly
The former BCCI president supported young opener Prithvi Shaw despite his inconsistent performances in the IPL. Ganguly acknowledged Shaw's learning process in T20 cricket, describing him as a fine talent. Ganguly expressed confidence that Shaw will improve with time.
"He (Prithvi Shaw) is a young kid. He is just 23. He is still learning how to play T20 cricket. He is a very fine talent and he will get better. Sometimes, we expect too much too early from everyone and I am sure Prithvi, with the skills he has, he will do well," Ganguly further added.
Prithvi Shaw missed the Delhi Capitals' initial matches in the recent T20 tournament. The young batter scored 43 runs off 27 balls in his comeback against the Chennai Super Kings (CSK). However, he ended the tournament with 198 runs in 8 matches at an average of 24.75 and an impressive strike rate of 163.64.
