IPL 2023: Impact rule takes away impact of all-rounders, says GT’s David Miller

IPL 2023: Ahead of Gujarat Titans’ IPL match against Kolkata Knight Riders, David Miller said that the impact player rule favours the use of specialists over all-rounders.

Gujarat Titans’ David Miller | Photo Credit: VIJAY SONEJI

South Africa and Gujarat Titans batter David Miller on Saturday said he was still adapting to the new Impact Player rule at IPL 2023 but believes it favours specialists as the league stands at the moment.

According to this new rule, teams can now name up to five substitutes, and one can be subbed on during the game. The player taken off can play no further part, and the replacement must be Indian unless the team has not used its full overseas complement of four.

“I mean, ultimately, you’ve got your all-rounders’ position. But I think the fact that you’ve got the choice to have the extra batter or the extra bowler gives extra strength to the team,” Miller said ahead of the Titans’ IPL match against the Kolkata Knight Riders at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on Sunday.

“I’ve just come in the last couple of days, and I’m still trying to kind of get the concept of it, but it seems like it takes away the impact of all-rounders, takes their role away.

“That’s my understanding, where you can take six or seven frontline betters or six frontline bowlers. So, yeah, I mean, we’ll see how it goes as IPL goes on,” Miller added.

But the rule has already divided opinions. For instance, Delhi Capitals head coach Ricky Ponting feels the Impact Player rule could mean the end of the road for “bits and pieces all-rounders”.

“It almost negates the role of all-rounders in the game now. So, unless they’re world-class and they’re getting picked either as a batsman or as a bowler, not sort of a bits-and-pieces guy, then I don’t think you’ll see many, many teams this year use the guy that might bat at seven and maybe bowling over or two. Because you don’t need those guys anymore,” Ponting had said at an event before the start of the season.

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Interestingly, most teams have tapped into their Indian reserves for Impact Player options. Dhruv Jurel of the Rajasthan Royals smacked an unbeaten 15-ball 32 on his IPL debut. Gujarat Titans’ Sai Sudharsan stepped up to fill the gap left in the top order by Kane Williamson, who has been ruled out of the tournament due to a knee injury. It is worth noting that the preference for Indians also comes from the provision that a team has to field only three overseas players in their starting XI to be able to name an overseas player as the impact sub.

The teams have also tried to be flexible in their use of the rule. The Sunrisers Hyderabad, on Friday, played with three overseas players, which meant it could utilise an overseas Impact Player.

Time will tell how the experiment with the Impact Player changes things, but the early indications are that it is clearly new innovation to watch out for in this IPL.