Sadagoppan Ramesh calls for Impact Player rule to be scrapped ahead of IPL 2027

Former India opener Sadagoppan Ramesh has urged BCCI to scrap the Impact Player rule before IPL 2027 gets underway, warning that the regulation has already done measurable damage to Indian cricket by stretching the gap between elite all-rounders and the players behind them.

As reported earlier, franchises were given until August 31 to provide their insights and feedback to the BCCI on whether the rule should be continued, modified or scrapped entirely. The rule has come under much scrutiny for the potential impacts it could have on the development of all-rounders in the country.

Introduced ahead of the 2023 IPL season, the rule allows each team to designate a 12th-man option who can replace any member of the original playing XI during the match. Since its introduction, the format has produced consistently high-scoring contests across four seasons.

Ramesh's central concern is the thinning of India's all-rounder pool. He pointed to Hardik Pandya's absence as the clearest illustration of the problem, arguing that the country has no reliable bridge between its best all-rounder and the players further down the pecking order.

"This rule has already negatively affected Indian cricket. When Hardik Pandya isn't there, we go two steps below to Nitish Kumar Reddy and even further down to Shivam Dube as the next option. So the gap between an ace all-rounder and the secondary options is widening. The removal of the Impact Player rule will only help India get a spin-bowling all-rounder like Ravindra Jadeja." Ramesh said on his Instagram Handle.

Ramesh also noted that several prominent players, among them Rohit Sharma, Axar Patel and Shubman Gill, have voiced opposition to the rule. A separate group of players has backed it, citing the additional tactical flexibility it offers and the entertainment value it adds to the competition.

"We've seen some players like Rohit Sharma, Hardik Pandya, Axar Patel and Shubman Gill oppose this rule. A few others have supported it as it provides an extra option and increases the entertainment value. I personally feel the IPL has to be beneficial to Indian cricket. All-rounders have been adversely impacted by this rule. They used to be like gold before," he said.

Ramesh extended his argument beyond the all-rounder debate to address fielding standards. He explained that players brought in solely for their batting have no practical reason to invest in their fielding during IPL matches, and that this neglect carries over when those same players represent India.

He also argued that scrapping the rule would sharpen competition for places across the board. Without a designated substitute available, pure batters and bowlers would need to deliver more consistently to hold their spot in the XI alongside revived all-rounder competition.

"Also, when a player is only going to be used for batting, they stop working hard on their fielding. That results in their fielding skills going down when they play for India. The removal of this rule will also make the pure batters and bowlers perform better, as they'll know that only if they produce something extra can they be in the 11 with the revival of all-rounders," he added.