Former India captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni has given his verdict on the much-debated Impact Player rule in the Indian Premier League. Dhoni, who remains a talismanic figure for the Chennai Super Kings despite relinquishing captaincy last year, said that he was not quite convinced about the need for the Impact Player rule when it was first introduced in the IPL.
However, the 43-year-old Dhoni now feels that Impact Player Rule is a part of T20 cricket’s evolution.
The former CSK skipper said that he does not consider himself an Impact Player as he is the first-choice wicketkeeper of his side in IPL.
“When this rule was implemented, I felt it wasn’t really needed at that time. In a way, it helps me, but at the same time, it doesn’t. I still do my wicket-keeping, so I am not an impact player,” Dhoni told ‘JioStar’.
“I have to be involved in the game. A lot of people say the rule has led to more high-scoring games. I believe it’s more due to the conditions and the comfort level of players,” he added.
Notably, the likes of Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma and Hardik Pandya haven’t not been in the favour of Impact Player rule. Many experts and former cricketers feel that the Impact Player Rule is affecting the growth of all-rounders as teams tend to choose big-hitting batters for this role.
According to Dhoni, the rule does give teams the comfort of an extra batter for crunch situations of the game.
“The number of runs being scored isn’t just because of an extra batsman. It’s about the mindset, teams now have the comfort of an extra batter, so they play more aggressively,” he said.
“It’s not that all four or five extra batters are being used, it’s just the confidence of having them. This is how T20 cricket has evolved,” he added.
