Former India captain Sourav Ganguly believes the IPL’s Impact Player rule is here to stay, even though many players, especially all-rounders, are not happy with it.
Ganguly's take on Impact player rule
All-rounders like Axar Patel have raised concerns about the rule. He recently said it can affect the growth of players like him. But Ganguly reckons that, despite the mixed opinions, the rule is unlikely to be removed.
"Impact player rule I think it's going to stay, and when I was the president of BCCI it had already come in. So, this is here to stay, someone will like it someone will not," Ganguly said during an event where he was also named brand ambassador of Jakson Group.
ALSO READ: Big blow for DC as opener withdraws from IPL 2026, set to be banned for 2 years
What is impact player rule in IPL?
The Impact Player rule allows teams to replace one player from their playing XI with one of the five substitute players during a match. While some see it as a tactical advantage, others feel it reduces the role of all-rounders. This was announced before the IPL 2023.
ALSO READ: Rinku Singh rewarded with leadership role in KKR alongside Rahane for IPL 2026
What is the most challenging and important format of the game?
Ganguly also spoke about the different formats of cricket. He said that, in his opinion, Test cricket remains the most challenging and important format of the game.
"I think Test cricket is the real format because one has to bowl 20-25 overs in one day, bowling four overs in a T20 match is a lot easy. T20 cricket is least challenging in terms of quality. But T20 cricket is the format which brings in people, it's just for three hours in the evening full of sixes and fours," Ganguly said.
"But in countries like India, England, Australia and South Africa Test cricket will always be special and when you see young players want to play Test cricket, it proves Test cricket is the strongest format of the game."
He added that although T20 cricket is popular and entertaining for fans, Test cricket will always hold a special place, especially in countries where the format has a strong tradition.
When will IPL 2026 start?
The Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 is scheduled to start from March 28 where defending champions Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) will face Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) in the tournament opener at M. Chinnaswamy Stadium.