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Rajasthan Royals (RR) head coach Rahul Dravid has revealed his views regarding the Impact Player rule in the Indian Premier League (IPL). In 2023, the impact player rule was introduced in the league. The rule has diminished the impact of all-rounders as teams nowadays don’t rely on the services of part-time bowlers. It also helped teams get an extra specialist batter which has assisted them to score big runs in matches. Records also reveal that high-scoring games have become frequent after the introduction of the rule. Dravid recently appeared in an interview with Sportstar and gave his opinions on the two-year old rule.
The 52-year-old said he didn’t like the rule when he was serving Team India as head coach as he felt it involved intricacy and also kept matches alive until the end. "It has certainly added a different dynamic. I’ll be honest: when I was India’s coach, I wasn’t particularly fond of the Impact Player rule. Not because it doesn’t make the game more competitive — it certainly does. It adds complexity and keeps matches alive till the very end. But from a national team perspective, it posed some challenges," said Dravid to Sportstar.
Dravid also highlighted the fact that the rule hinders the growth of all-rounders in the game. "As a coach, you want to develop all-rounders, and under the old 11 vs 11 format, certain players would have had more opportunities to bat or bowl in different situations. The Impact Player rule has changed that to some extent," added Dravid.
RR to play their maiden IPL 2025 game in Jaipur
RR will look to be at their best in the upcoming game against Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB), at the Sawai Mansingh Stadium, on April 13. The Royals will play their maiden game of the season in Jaipur. Rajasthan faced a crushing defeat against Gujarat Titans (GT) in their previous match in Ahmedabad.
Before the RR challenge, RCB will take on Delhi Capitals (DC) in Bengaluru on April 10. Bengaluru have played an aggressive brand of cricket in the competition, so far and are currently in the third spot on the tally, with three wins and a loss.
