Will Impact Subs catch on?

In 2023, the Indian Premier League introduced the Impact Player rule as yet another way to evolve the competition. 

Like any great league in any sport - tournaments that stand still often lose the interest of the public. Whether it’s the introduction of DRS to ball changes - new regulations do breed interest. It seems mundane and on paper, many of the changes are but the Impact Player rule seems to have garnered more conversation than alterations and amendments of the past.

Vaibhav Suryavanshi has often appeared as an Impact Player in his debut season

For those not following closely, or struggling to understand when and where the substitution comes into play - I’ll describe it in Layman's terms. Essentially, any time before the 14th over of an innings sides can swap out a player for one of 5 other players. In essence, this means you can bulk your batting lineup or bolster your bowling attack during this time. There’s more to it than that but it works as a summary.

Now India certainly wasn’t the inventor of this concept - the first time something like this was trialled was during BBL 11 in the 2020-21 season under the guise of the X-factor rule. This rule lasted for 2 seasons and acted somewhat differently. Again, in Layman’s terms, the X-Factor allowed you to swap out a player who hadn’t batted or bowled more than one over before the first 10 overs of the first innings.

The reason this only lasted for 2 seasons was that, unsurprisingly, it was complicated and didn’t provide much value for teams or fans.

So what is different with the Impact Player rule? Well for one, it can be really effective.

Most people are aware of the headlines when Vaibhav Suryavanshi made his debut for Rajasthan at the age of 14 and later on his 35-ball ton but it was his subbing in that allowed the Royals to begin building the pace of the innings.

Ashutosh Sharma bludgeoned his way to 66 off 31 balls for Delhi against LSG which turned the game around in the early part of the season.

Vaibhav Arora took 3 wickets after being subbed in to bulk out KKR’s bowling attack against the Sunrisers which led the visitors to defeat by 80 runs.

Secondly, the fans seem to really love it. It adds drama to the games and a lot of players (on the surface at least) seem to like it too.

It’s been widely suggested that the rule means that players like Dhoni can continue to make cameo appearances into the latter years of their careers. Whilst he may not quite be as mobile in the field as he once was or compared to his younger teammates he can be airdropped into a situation that suits his style of play. He’s also managing a long-term knee injury that for players in bygone eras may have marked the end of a career.

Additionally, and this is where the tactics of the rule come into play, Dhoni can continually be shifted around the batting pack whilst an extra player is added to the line up in certain cases. Famously this season he batted as low as 9 for the first time in his IPL career.

So will it catch on is the question?

Sanju Samson was also used as an Impact Player in order to recover from a finger injury allowing him to focus on his batting

The IPL is all about glitz, glamour and short-term hits of dopamine. In that context having a substitution rule makes perfect sense - the crowds love it and gives them another chance to make some noise but what about other parts of the world?

Well, as previously alluded to, a version of it was trialled in the BBL and people didn’t like it. For purists, it goes against one of the fundamentals of the game - it’s an eleven person sport. Recent developments such as the much needed concussion sub or a fielding sub aside - the playing XI should be based on the best team to win on a certain pitch. If you pick one off-spinner on a raging Chittagong turner you’re going to have a tough game.

Chasing games with an impact sub can also become much easier than before - by knowing your target you know what sort of batter you’d need in the second innings i.e. an anchor for a difficult wicket (e.g. a Kane Williamson type) or a power hitter for a big chase (e.g. a Tim David type).

It also feels like it belongs in another sport; substitutions happen in football and rugby - not cricket.

Without wishing to speak on behalf of the English cricketing public, it does feel as though this wouldn’t be popular over here either. Nuance, even in the fast pace of T20 cricket, is valued and the removal of a number of pre-game tactical elements like: who plays well against whom, who needs a rest, who will play well on a certain deck all, to a certain extent, go out the window when a substitute is involved.

The all-rounder is also a cherished player on these shores, possibly only Pakistan and the West Indies compete with England for their love of an all-rounder. The Impact Sub rule allows players to provide and focus on one discipline and removing the need for an all rounder when you can remove a pace bowler for an explosive middle-order bat.

A final, more tangible reason why the powers that be in England wouldn’t fancy this rule is that it complicates matters. Realistically, The Hundred would be the competition to adopt the rule but they have bent over backwards to make the format as digestible to the casual fan. The Impact Sub rule is anything but straightforward.

Certain individuals involved in the IPL, notably Faf du Plessis and Stephen Fleming have hinted (in a delicately worded fashion) at some discontent within playing circles about the rule itself but no-one has complained about it overtly.

The IPL is the biggest league in the world though and has a lot of sway. If fans in India like it, there’s a bigger chance that it will spread to cater a more familiar format to other franchises particularly those with more Indian interests and owners such as the SA20.

Will it catch on - well maybe it’s just one of those things that makes the IPL the uniquely special tournament that it is for all the glitz and glamour.