Dravid's Brutally Honest Verdict On Impact Player Rule: "Wasn't Fond Of..."

Rajasthan Royals head coach Rahul Dravid gave his verdict on the Impact Player rule and said that when he was the head coach of the Indian cricket team, he was not a fan of the rule. In a recent interview, Dravid explained the strategic value of the rule but also outlined the challenges that it poses to the national side selection. There has been a lot of discussion over the rule with MS Dhoni recently expressing his reservations. Dravid admitted that the Impact Player rule has contributed in making IPL even more competitive but the impact on the all-rounders can turn out to be problematic.

“It has certainly added a different dynamic,” Dravid told Sportstar.

“I'll be honest: when I was India's coach, I wasn't particularly fond of the Impact Player rule. Not because it doesn't make the game more competitive – it certainly does. It adds complexity and keeps matches alive till the very end. But from a national team perspective, it posed some challenges.”

“Statistically, scoring rates have increased due to teams having an extra specialist batter,” Dravid said.

“This means no team is ever truly out of a game. You can have a batter at No.8 or even No.9, which allows for aggressive hitting even after losing six or seven wickets.”

Dravid stressed on the negative impact that the rule can have specifically on all-rounders.

“As a coach, you want to develop all-rounders, and under the old 11 vs 11 format, certain players would have had more opportunities to bat or bowl in different situations. The Impact Player rule has changed that to some extent,” Dravid said.  “While having an all-rounder still brings balance, teams can now manage without one if they don't find the right fit.”