The Legendary captain and Wk-batter MS Dhoni has shared his views on the impact of player rule in the Indian Premier League and said that it’s not solely responsible for the repeated high score contests in the tournament.
The impact player rule was introduced in the IPL 2023 season. However, the real impact was seen in the 2024 season edition of the tournament as teams surpassed the 200-run mark 41 times.
Moreover, the top five highest scores in the history of the tournament come from the 2024 season which has made several experts have criticised the Impact Player rule, saying it takes away the competition between bat and ball.
MS Dhoni also commented on the impact of the rule and said that high-scoring games have been happening more due to the conditions and comfort of the players.
“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’m not an impact player. I have to be involved in the game,” said 43-year old.
“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. The number of runs being scored isn’t just because of an extra batsman,” added CSK Wk-batter.
“It’s about the mind-set—teams now have the comfort of an extra batter, so they play more aggressively. 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,” said MS Dhoni.
Meanwhile Dhoni once again proved his ability with his lightning-flash stumping during CSK’s opening games in IPL 2025 season against Mumbai Indians to dismiss Suryakumar Yadav.
Chennai secured a four wicket victory after impressive knocks from Rachin Ravindra and Ruturaj Gaikwad. Their next match will be against Royal Challengers Bengaluru on March 28 at M.A. Chidambaram Stadium.
