BCCI has decided to churn out a new signal for umpires for the ‘impact player’ rule ahead of the 16th edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL). The much-awaited tournament will be commencing with a match between defending champions Gujarat Titans (GT) playing at home in Ahmedabad’s Narendra Modi Stadium against Chennai Super Kings (CSK) on Friday, March 31. While there have been quite a few additions in terms of rules in the league, one among them is the use of ‘impact player’.
The rule allows teams competing in the game to include five substitutes apart from the playing XI. With the new rule set to be included in the upcoming edition of the tournament, umpires will need to cross their hands above their heads and clench their fists to signal the impact sub. In addition to this, each captain will be allowed to carry two team sheets while heading for the toss.
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The impact player rule has previously experimented with in the recently concluded SA20 in South Africa. According to the reports of the Indian Express, the note explains- “(i) playing XI and 5 subs if they bat first. (ii) playing XI and 5 subs if they bowl first. Please tick on the batting first box on the team sheet for your batting first playing XI and vice versa. Depending on the outcome of the toss, the captains will exchange the team sheets accordingly.”
Major changes in IPL 2023: (Source – Espn Cricinfo)
– Teams will name their 11 after the toss.
– Unfair movement by Keeper or fielders will result in dead ball & 5 penalty runs.
– Only 4 fielders will be allowed outside 30 yard for every over not completed within time.— Johns. (@CricCrazyJohns) March 22, 2023
For the smooth utilization of the impact place, the BCCI has increased the playing squad to 16 for teams to field the player optimally. Among other new rules is the decision to challenge the umpire’s on-field reviews over no-ball and wides.
The BCCI also implemented the rule in the Women’s Premier League (WPL) which helped teams challenge and overturn the wrongly-made decision by the umpire. Furthermore, teams will incur a penalty assuming they do not conclude their overs in the stipulated time of play of 90 minutes.
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The board has also made another change with regard to the unfair movement by fielders in the contest. As introduced in the T20 World Cup 2022, the fielding team will be permitted to have only four cricketers outside the 30 yards circle instead of the regular five. Assuming the fielding team fails to inculcate the new rule, five penalty runs will be imposed and umpires will deem it as a ‘dead ball’.
