Former Indian cricketer and now prominent commentator Aakash Chopra has shared his opinion on the Impact Player Rule in the context of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025.
As the IPL moves towards 2025, important meetings are taking place between the franchise owners and the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI). Recently, the BCCI held a meeting with the franchise owners on July 31 to discuss the preparations and regulations for IPL 2025.
On this issue, Chopra says that the retention of the impact player rule is a necessary change, which will maintain the importance of all-rounders in the teams.
Though an official statement is yet to be released, the BCCI has described the meeting as positive and said they will discuss further before taking a final decision.
Aakash Chopra stresses on impact player rule
Aakash Chopra supported the Impact Player rule in a video on his YouTube channel. He says that this rule will give good all-rounders a place in the team, while other players will get a chance to improve their skills. Citing the example of Punjab Kings, he said teams that don’t have good all-rounders often face struggles.
“I think an impact player should stay in the team. A good all-rounder will get a place in the team. If you’re not that good, it doesn’t matter. Improve your skills in Syed Mushtaq Ali, Vijay Hazare Trophy. And as soon as you qualify for the IPL, teams will give you full permission to bowl and bat.”
Aakash Chopra further said that the importance of an all-rounder is very high. “An all-rounder is very important, but that all-rounder has to be good. No mediocre or deceptive all-rounder.”
The concerns of other players
Many prominent players like Rohit Sharma have expressed their concerns over the impact player rule. He believes that this rule can reduce the importance of good all-rounders. He cited the examples of Washington Sundar and Shivam Dube, who could be affected by the impact of this rule.
Most of the players are not in favour of this rule, so it will be interesting to see how the BCCI decides this rule for IPL 2025.
