Delhi Capitals head coach Ricky Ponting has said that the use of “Impact Player” in the upcoming Indian Premier League (IPL) will totally depend on if you bat or bowl first, and it actually almost negates the role of allrounders in the game now. Tactical substitutions will be introduced in this season of the Indian Premier League (IPL). After being used in the domestic T20 competition Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy for the first time in October-November, the concept will “add a new dimension to IPL”.
It is not known if the system planned for IPL would be similar to the ‘Impact Player’ rule used during the SMAT, but if it is the case, teams will get a great deal of tactical flexibility.
“It [usage of Impact Player] depends if you bat or bowl first. So at the toss, we will be putting in a bowling-first team and a batting-first team. And obviously if you bat first, you’re probably going to sub in a batter. Or if you bat first and lose an early wicket, you might want to bring in a batter straight on top of that. So there are a number of different ways to use it,” Ponting said at an event in New Delhi.
The Impact Player rule offers greater tactical scope than other substitution systems that have been used previously.
“It actually almost negates the role of allrounders in the game now. So unless they’re absolutely world-class and they’re getting picked either as a batsman or as a bowler, not sort of a bits and pieces guy, then I don’t think you’ll see many, many teams this year actually use the guy that might bat at seven and maybe bowling over or two. Because you don’t need those guys anymore,” he added.
The one all-rounder who Delhi will definitely be keeping an eye out for, though, is Mitchell Marsh. He had a decent IPL 2022, scoring 251 runs in eight games at a strike rate of 132.80.
“He’s had three or four months off in Australia; he’s recovered from an ankle surgery that he had, I think back in November. He hasn’t bowled in the games yet, but he’s been bowling for the last five or six weeks. So by the time he gets here with us, his role in our team will be to bowl some overs as well. He knows that and understands that,” Ponting said.
IPL 2023 will start with the heavyweight clash between Gujarat Giants and Chennai Super Kings on March 31 at the Narendra Modi Stadium, Ahmedabad.
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