Hyderabad: The Board of Control for Cricket in India has decided to scrap the Impact Player Rule in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy (SMAT) from the upcoming season,. The rule was applied in the tournament a couple of years ago and was later applied in the Indian Premier League (IPL).
"Kindly note that the BCCI has decided to do away with the provision of the 'Impact Player' for the ongoing season," the BCCI informed the state associations on Monday.
The decision has come shortly after BCCI decided to retain the rule in the IPL for three more seasons, till 2027. Since its inception in 2023, the rule has triggered a discussion over whether it is beneficial for the Indian cricketer or if is it hurting the development of all-rounders in the country. Also, the allowance of having depth in the batting unit due to the rule caused teams to post a mammoth total and that also played a part in the discussion.
Some star players including Rohit Sharma have expressed concerns over the rule saying it is affecting the development of the all-rounders.
"I generally feel that it is going to hold back (development of allrounders) because eventually cricket is played by 11 players, not 12 players. I'm not a big fan of impact players. You are taking out so much from the game just to make it little entertainment for the people around," Rohit had said on the Club Prairie podcast.
Although the rule has been scrapped from the SMAT, it will be retained in the IPL 2025. However, there seems to be uncertainty about its existence beyond the upcoming season.
