IPL impact player rule hits all-rounder, India’s T20 World Cup selection | Cricket

T20 cricket is always designed to entertain batsmen with fours or sixes. But even taking into account format-specific biases, the balance seems to have tipped too far in favor of the bats in IPL 2023 and 2024. A quick look at the highest totals from his 17 editions of the tournament shows that he has six of the top seven finishes. In the last two years. All four of the highest totals in history came this season, three of which were recorded by a Sunrisers Hyderabad batting line-up operating in five gear from start to finish.

It’s true that batters seem more adept at six-hitting than ever before, but it can’t be just a coincidence that this spike in scoring rate coincides with the introduction of the Impact Player Rule. The system, introduced ahead of the 2023 season, allows for a 12th player to enter at any stage of the match, resulting in each team having up to eight specialist batters when batting and up to six when defending. There will be two bowling options. Deciding when and how to use it also requires no strategic acumen, as teams only have to announce their eleven after the toss is over, and can choose from four replacement players.

The increased depth in the batting department means the team can give it their all from ball one without worrying about losing wickets. This claim is supported by numbers. Since 2023, the average first innings total has risen to 184.7 (before Sunday games), compared to 168.2 from 2018 to 2022. While chasing, the average score was also up from 156.6 (2018-2022) to 170.3.

While the no-holds-barred approach makes for great entertainment, the nuances involved in T20 batting (picking which bowlers to target, knowing exactly when to accelerate) are a challenge, as there is little risk of running out of batsmen. It will be lost to some extent.

“It may not be ideal for the coaches or the players, but what this game is trying to do is entertain people,” Delhi Capitals coach Ricky Ponting said at a press conference before Saturday’s loss to SRH. I think it’s important to let them do it,” he said. “A T20 match is an entertainment package and I think it’s better to ask the audience what they think about the impact players, because everyone likes it when teams score 220 to 250 runs in a lot of matches. If it’s there, it should stay.” But if the crowd doesn’t like it that much, there’s no reason they can’t go back to 11-on-11. ”

All-rounders are rejected

This rule has a negative impact on the development of all-rounders. Once teams have access to specialists, they only need all-rounders who are equally skilled in both areas. The rest are made to feel redundant or are only used on more powerful suits. For an Indian team that has historically looked down on seam bowling all-rounders, it doesn’t bode well that Shivam Dube, for example, hasn’t bowled at all this season. Dube is a ferocious batsman and is aiming to earn a spot in India’s T20 World Cup squad thanks to his run-making exploits with Chennai Super Kings (CSK). He would make a stronger case if his bowling went along too.

India captain Rohit Sharma is rightly concerned about the impact on his all-rounder. Speaking on the Club Prairie podcast, co-hosted by Adam Gilchrist and Michael Vaughan, he said: “Ultimately cricket is going to be played by 11 players instead of 12, so[developing all-rounders]”I generally feel it’s going to be a drag.” “I’m not a big fan of impact players. You take a lot out of the game just to provide a little bit of entertainment to the people around you. But if you look purely at the cricket side… There are many examples, players like Washington Sundar and Shivam Dube are not available to bowl and this is not good for us (Indian team).

Abhishek Sharma is another young prospect whose bowling doesn’t get much attention. While he is attracting attention as an explosive top-ranked hitter, his left-handed spin has only been used in two overs in seven games. “Everyone knows that I can bowl. But with this impact player rule, there will always be an extra bowler. If you are an all-rounder, that will be the case. It happened last year and the same thing will happen this year. Abhishek told reporters on Saturday.

This provision also means there are important differences between T20 leagues and national teams. This is not ideal for the Indian team, which has played only three T20Is this year in the run-up to the T20 World Cup and relies on the IPL for preparation. In this high-profile tournament, India’s batting resources are unlikely to stretch beyond number seven. So, while the middle-order batsman has played with some leeway in his IPL franchise, he will be more concerned about the wicket in hand in the World Cup.

The impact player rule already had its detractors at the end of its first season, with India’s captain also voicing his opposition, and that sentiment seems to have intensified this year. So how long will it be before the IPL returns to his 11-on-11 contest?