Days after Delhi Capitals captain Axar Patel expressed his displeasure with the Indian Premier League’s (IPL) Impact Player rule, Gujarat Titans captain Shubman Gill has expressed a similar view, claiming that the rule diminishes the game’s overall skill level.
Gill stated his position on the hotly contested rule during a press conference on Thursday. The franchise’s leader in Ahmedabad made it quite plain that he did not support the rule at all.
“Personally, I don’t think there should be an Impact player,” Gill said.
The Impact Player rule, which was implemented in the IPL in 2023 after being tested in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy during the 2022–2023 season, has continued to be a topic of discussion. Despite accusations that it disproportionately favors hitters, the BCCI chose to keep it in the IPL even though it was eliminated from India’s local circuit following the 2024 season.
Bowlers’ lives have become more challenging as a result of the rule, which has enabled teams to bolster their hitting lineups by essentially adding an extra batter. Shubman Gill feels that this change is extremely unfair to the bowlers and is undermining the essence of the game.
“Cricket in general is a 11-player game… adding an extra batsman, I think it takes the skill out of the game. With that one extra player, it is making the game more one dimensional. Chasing 180 or 160 on a challenging wicket is for me more exciting than chasing 220 on a flat track,” he continued.
Gill Downplays 300-Run Talk, Stresses Match-Winning Approach
With the regulation improving the game’s balance in favor of batters, there is rising anticipation that teams will surpass the 300-run mark in Twenty20 cricket. Over the past few seasons, the conversation has gained steam even though such a milestone hasn’t yet been reached. Shubman Gill emphasized, though, that his team’s priorities are different.
“At the end of the day, you have to score more runs than the other team. Whether it’s by four runs or 150-200 runs, the goal is to win. We are not chasing the glory of scoring 300-350 in a single match. We want to be a team that consistently scores big runs and achieves the par target for that wicket,” Gill said.
He went on to emphasize the Gujarat Titans’ goal of performing consistently under a variety of circumstances rather than depending solely on level fields.
“We want to win matches in different conditions. We don’t want to be a team that performs only on good wickets,” he added.
For the uninitiated, the Impact Player creates a 12-a-side competition by enabling teams to replace one player from their starting XI with one of five designated substitutes at any time during a game, such as the beginning of an innings, the end of an over, or the fall of a wicket.
