(PTI Photo)
Delhi Capitals (DC) director of cricket and former India captain, Sourav Ganguly, supports the continuation of the “Impact Player” rule in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025. However, he suggested that the IPL should be played on larger grounds to enhance the excitement of next year’s T20 tournament.
The impact player rule has gained attention in the recently concluded T20 tournament, enabling teams to adopt a more aggressive batting style. As a result, teams frequently scored over 200 runs, and the 250-run mark was surpassed eight times during the IPL 2024 season.
Just Want The Grounds To Be A Bit Bigger – Sourav Ganguly
Sourav Ganguly shared his views on the impact player rule and stated that the teams should reveal the impact player before the toss for strategic planning.
“I like the impact player rule. My only thing with IPL is that I just want the grounds to be a bit bigger. The fences should go a little behind,” Ganguly told the media on the sidelines of the International Procurement and Supply Chain Conference organized by the Blue Ocean Corporation in Mumbai.
“It is a great tournament. The only thing you can do with the impact player is decide before the toss, so it’s a bit of skill there. So, have the impact player revealed before because that will require a lot of skill and game plan. But, I am all for the impact player,” he added.
The impact player rule, introduced in last year’s T20 tournament, allows teams to choose a 12th player from five substitutes named at the toss. This player can replace any other player during the match and can be used as either a bowler or a batter.
However, many players and coaches have voiced concerns about the rule. Mumbai Indians (MI) batter Rohit Sharma criticized it, pointing out that players like Washington Sundar and Shivam Dube avoided bowling because of it. Teams preferred to include an additional bowler in their playing XI instead.
Prithvi Shaw Is A Young Kid – Sourav Ganguly
The former BCCI president showed support for young opener Prithvi Shaw despite his inconsistent IPL performances. Ganguly recognized Shaw’s ongoing learning process in T20 cricket and praised him as a talented player. He expressed confidence that Shaw will improve over time.
“He (Prithvi Shaw) is a young kid. He is just 23. He is still learning how to play T20 cricket. He is a very fine talent and he will get better. Sometimes, we expect too much too early from everyone and I am sure Prithvi, with the skills he has, he will do well,” Ganguly further added.
Prithvi Shaw missed the initial matches for Delhi Capitals in the recent T20 tournament. In his comeback game against the Chennai Super Kings (CSK), the young batter scored 43 runs off 27 balls. He concluded the tournament with a total of 198 runs in 8 matches, averaging 24.75 and boasting an impressive strike rate of 163.64.
