Preparations for the upcoming 18th season of the Indian Premier League (IPL), which has become the heartbeat of cricket lovers in Indian cricket, are now in full swing. The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has started preparations for the mega auction for IPL 2025.
Meanwhile, the discussion of a possible major change in the rules in the IPL has also intensified. Ahead of the upcoming season, the IPL teams are scheduled to attend an important meeting with the BCCI on July 31, in which the rules of franchise retention and other changes will be discussed.
The BCCI has indicated that increasing the number of players to be retained by the franchise in IPL 2025 can be considered. Currently, the franchise is allowed to retain a limited number of players, but according to the new proposal, the franchise may be allowed to retain more players.
This change will give teams the opportunity to retain their key players for a long time and it can also increase the stability of the teams.
What is the impact rule?
Another major change before IPL 2025 can be regarding the impact rule. This rule was first implemented in 2022, under which each team was allowed to include one ‘impact player’ in their playing-11.
This rule affected the role of all-rounders, and teams often included additional batsmen in the playing-11, which strengthened the batting lineup and saw a series of high scoring in matches.
Why Virat and Rohit oppose the impact rule?
However, this rule has also been criticized. Many experts and players consider this rule to be against the bowlers. Last season, the batsmen took full advantage of this rule and hit 1260 sixes, the highest in the history of IPL. As a result, the position of the bowlers became weak and questions were raised about their role.
Those who criticized this rule include veteran cricketers Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma. Talking about the impact rule, Rohit Sharma had said, “This rule should be removed. Due to this, all-rounders like Shivam Dubey and Abhishek Sharma do not get a chance to bowl.” He believed that this rule has made the conditions extremely difficult for the bowlers.
At the same time, Virat Kohli also expressed his disagreement with this rule. He said, “This rule may be fine in terms of entertainment, but we have to pay attention to the position of the bowlers along with the batsmen. Bowlers should also get an opportunity to play an effective role in the match.”
BCCI’s stand on Virat and Rohit’s suggestion
BCCI secretary Jay Shah took note of the matter and said that after receiving poor reviews, the BCCI may consider removing the impact rule from IPL 2025.
Apart from this, he also clarified that the purpose of changing the rules is to make the game more competitive and exciting, and not to harm any one side.
It will become clear how these potential rule changes will be implemented after meetings between the BCCI and the IPL franchises in the coming days. It will be an interesting time for cricket fans as the new season of IPL will come with new challenges and exciting changes.
