With Impact Player rule, only pure all-rounder will find place

Highlights

Rohit Sharma says the Impact Player strategy was holding back the development of Indian all-rounders with teams replacing them with an extra batter or bowler during the game

Mumbai: Mumbai Indians captain Hardik Pandya on Wednesday said now that the contentious Impact Player rule has been extended by three years, a cricketer has to be a pure all-rounder to find a place in the starting eleven. The rule allows a team to replace a player from their playing XI at a later stage of the match. The teams bring in a batting or bowling specialist as the situation demands.

The BCCI extended the rule to at least the 2027 edition despite reservations from leading Indian players, including Rohit Sharma who said the Impact Player strategy was holding back the development of Indian all-rounders with teams replacing them with an extra batter or bowler during the game. “In the current scenario, it becomes difficult if you are not completely a 50-50 all-rounder to find your place. Going forward this can change or will change, we will have to see. But yes, definitely if you want to encourage more all-rounders they will need a fix spot for them to develop over the years,” said Pandya during the season-opening media interaction.

Pandya will miss MI’s opening game on Sunday due to one match suspension for over-rate related offences last year. Surya Kumar Yadav will lead the side. Sitting next to him, head coach Mahela Jaywardene also had his say on the matter. “It has given a different set of challenges. So we have to adapt and get better. My only concern at that time was that sometimes you have a pure all rounder and they have a specific role to play but the other all-rounders are taken out of the game because you can get a genuine bowler or batter, that is something we have to see in the long term,” reckoned the Sri Lankan great. Pandya’s return to Mumbai Indians last season was not the smoothest as the storied franchise finished last among 10 teams. He was also booed by the home fans. Considering their five IPL titles, Mumbai Indians have had a dry run since 2021.

The premier all-rounder said he will carry the confidence of winning two ICC titles with India over the past year.