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The Indian Premier League's (IPL) impact player rule has come under scrutiny of late for not providing enough balance between bat and ball. Captains, players have criticised the rule. A few foreign players feel that it has led to them not getting enough chances. The most affected by the substitute rule are all-rounders. And that's the reason why SA20 won’t feature the impact player rule despite IPL owners being in control of the franchises. Former South Africa captain and Cricket South Africa (CSA) director Graeme Smith feels that they don't want to overcomplicate fans' experience and undermine all-rounders' role as well. However, he admits that it has been part of the conversation.
“The Impact Player rule has been a hot topic of conversation, and it certainly has its pros and cons. It introduces another local player into the game, so that’s a benefit for Indian talent getting exposed at the IPL level, but I think it takes a little bit of the nuance away from captaincy, and the all-rounders are getting upset because it means their roles are less pivotal,” Smith wrote in his Betaway Insider column.
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“We’ve chosen to stay away from it at this early stage of the Betway SA20 because we’re trying to introduce a whole new audience to the game, and you also don’t want to complicate an already complicated sport for a new fan.”
Impact player rule’s absence crucial for South Africa all-rounders
Not just for the T20 league and new fans, Smith feels that it also helps them in preparing the next crop of all-rounders for South Africa. In addition, he feels that a S20 league fan doesn’t always want a high-scoring game, until India.
“South African cricket found itself needing to develop all-arounders after having them in abundance with players like Lance Klusener, Shaun Pollock and Jacques Kallis. We’re now starting to see guys develop again, like Marco Jansen, who’s an incredible talent,” Smith explained.
“In India, the fans love high-scoring games, and you probably see that in the TV ratings when it gets near a 200-run chase. After 16 or 17 years of the IPL, they probably have different ambitions to us,” he added.
While SA20 has decided to steer away from the controversial rule, it is likely to stay in the IPL until the next mega auction.
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