IPL Auction 2023: Impact Player rule makes a mark in Kochi

Kochi: “Manish Pandey’s experience and now the fact there’s an Impact Player, it means that if you are in a tricky situation we can always bring him in as an Impact Player. Suppose you lose three wickets very quickly and you need someone solid who can come in hold the innings together, Manish is that player,” Delhi Capitals co-owner Parth Jindal told Jio Cinemas during the break between the mini-auction.

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Still early days, but the effect of the Impact Player rule was felt on and around the auction tables in Kochi on 23 December. The all-rounders dominated the day and pocketed the big bucks but it was a good warm-up for the IP rule which is being introduced in the 2023 edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL).

The “good feedback” from the dry run during the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy (SMAT) convinced the IPL Governing Council to go ahead with the tactical move which is expected to add an exciting edge to the contests. Unlike in the SMAT, the Impact Player rule can come into play at any time during the match in the IPL and the initial details suggest it will be restricted to the Indian players.

“IPL is known for innovations. We have tried many things. We have tried it in SMAT and the feedback that we got, everybody was excited and on board with it. T20 game is all about excitement. Given the feedback that we had, we further deliberated on that, there have been few more suggestions that have been incorporated and we are excited to see it in the upcoming season,” IPL GC Chairman Arun Singh Dhumal said in an interaction with the media at the end of the auction.

Micro level approach to Impact Player

There are numerous ways of looking at the rule and what it can bring to the table. For start, it helps minimise the dew damage done to teams bowling second in evening games and one can always make the necessary change keeping the conditions in mind. For instance, a team could swap a spinner with a seamer to allow more control with the wet ball in the second innings.

For Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) Director of Cricket Mike Hesson, however, it’s the various matchups which come into play and how the Impact Player rule adds a new dimension to controlling little periods in the game.

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“You got to make sure that within your squad you have players who can literally do that – they can come and have an impact. Whether it will be a match up… say you have left-handers and you want to use off-spinner for example or from batting point of view you want a free pass. You want somebody to come out and create some momentum for you. Every side will look at it slightly differently and that in itself will bring in intrigue,” said Hesson.

From the uncapped lot, RCB bagged leg-spinner Himanshu Sharma for ₹20 lakh. The player is an unknown commodity in the cricketing circles with no competitive cricket experience and club-cricket is the highest level he has played at.

Hesson sees an Impact Player potential in the rookie and said he was acquired keeping the tactical move in mind. After Parth Jindal’s comments on Manish Pandey earlier in the day, Hesson’s revelation on Himanshu makes it clear that no franchise turned a blind eye towards the new rule.

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“I think we were initially worried because we didn’t know enough about how the playing conditions would be. So we had to look at our own squad and ask ‘depending on what the regulations are, do we have the right set of players?’ And we have certainly looked at adding a little bit and we have bought Himanshu who offers us the potential ability to be an Impact Player if (the) conditions suit. I think once it was decided that it was only for Indian players, (it) made things relatively straightforward,” said Hesson.

Impact Player and the specialists

For years, the shortest format has seen the limelight go towards the all-rounders – the players who bring more than one dimension to the table. This IPL mini-auction was no different as the top three buys of the day were all-rounders Sam Curran, Cameron Green and Ben Stokes. But what happens when Impact Player comes into play and teams get a hang of it? Do they go the specialists’ way and keep making the necessary swaps? Or do they stick to the traditional approach of beefing up the squad with more all-rounders and use the rule to counter moments/match-ups in the game?

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“I don’t think all-rounders will lose importance because even when you make the IP move, it will be more often than not between specialists right? You are less likely to replace a batter with say an all-rounder. Still early days but role of all-rounders is unlikely to be reduced but that of the specialists will definitely become all the more important,” said a former cricketer, who is now part of a leading franchise, during one of the auction breaks.

The all-rounders were the flavour of the mini-auction but the trend is likely to change when the Impact Player rolls out. It will only add more spice to the game and make specialists one of the most important ingredients going forward.

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