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Rahul Dravid drops truth bomb on Impact Player rule, admits he 'wasn't fond of it' while coaching Team India
The former India head coach gave his honest opinion on the Impact Player rule and how it gave him a headache during his time with the national team.
Rahul Dravid, the former head coach of India and current head coach of Rajasthan Royals, has shared his views on the Impact Player rule in the IPL, stressing both its strategic value and the challenges it poses from a national team perspective. Dravid admitted the rule has made the league more competitive but expressed concerns over its wider implications.
“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.”
Introduced in 2023 after a trial run in the Syed Mushtaq Ali T20 Trophy, the Impact Player rule allows teams to replace one player from the playing XI during a match. While it has made matches more competitive and entertaining, it has also led to an increase in scoring and a shift in team strategies.
“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.”
Impact on all-rounders
Dravid’s major concern, as many have earlier highlighted, lies in the impact it has on grooming 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.
He added that while balance is still possible with all-rounders, teams now feel less dependent on them. “While having an all-rounder still brings balance, teams can now manage without one if they don’t find the right fit.”
Dravid’s remarks echo similar concerns voiced earlier by Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli, adding to the ongoing conversation about whether the rule is a tactical masterstroke or a developmental roadblock.
