The Impact Player rule explained: what it is, how the substitute works in the IPL, and how it has changed team selection and T20 strategy.
If you have watched the IPL recently, you have seen it in action — but what is the Impact Player rule, exactly? Here is a clear explainer of how this substitute changes T20 cricket.
The Impact Player rule lets a team bring one substitute into the game who can bat or bowl a full role, replacing a player from the original eleven. It effectively gives sides a twelfth active player, used at a tactical …
The Impact Player rule has deepened batting line-ups and let teams pick an extra specialist, knowing they can swap based on the situation. It has shifted how franchises value all-rounders and build their squads.
Supporters love the extra tactics and bigger scores; critics argue it reduces the value of genuine all-rounders. Either way, the Impact Player rule is now central to T20 selection.